Ovarian tissue cryopreservation followed by controlled ovarian stimulation and pick-up of mature oocytes does not impair the number or quality of retrieved oocytes

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of fertility preservation in cancer patients by combined bilateral ovarian cortex cryopreservation and embryo freezing. Methods: This was a cohort-controlled study in a university hospital center. Sixteen patients with a recent cancer diagnosis were included in the study. They all consented to fertility preservation by a combined technique: ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) followed by ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo freezing. The control group included 100 women of the same age undergoing IVF for male factor infertility. Results: The mean number of metaphase II oocytes was 8.3 per patient (±7.7) and was not statistically different from the control group (8.1 ± 5.6). The mean number of good quality embryos obtained was not statistically different in the 2 groups (4.2 versus 4.4). Conclusion: OTC before embryo freezing does not impair the number or quality of cryopreserved embryos, but increases fertility preservation potential.