Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation: banking reproductive potential for the future.

Transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue is a technology that holds promise for preserving reproductive potential for the future. It may be apropos for cancer survivors who will undergo treatment with sterility-inducing chemotherapy or radiation. Although there is some evidence suggesting cellular and molecular injury with the freezing and thawing process, there are examples in both animals and humans that transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue can lead to successful restoration of fertility. Currently, cryopreservation of ovarian tissue is the only option available to preserve fertility in prepubertal girls or women who cannot delay their cancer treatment. For this patient population, ovarian tissue banking and subsequent transplantation is the only fertility-preserving method that has resulted in live-born pregnancies. The technology of ovarian tissue banking is currently at the forefront of the emerging field of oncofertilty.