Infertile cancer patient has baby using frozen egg matured in lab

PARIS: In a world first, a woman rendered infertile by cancer treatment gave birth after one of her immature eggs was matured, frozen, and then -- five years later -- thawed and fertilised, researchers in France reported.

A study in the journal Annals of Oncology published Wednesday describes how the baby boy was born to a 34-year-old French woman who had been treated with chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Before the treatment began, doctors removed seven immature eggs from her ovaries and used a technique called in vitro maturation (IVM) to allow the eggs to develop further in the laboratory.

Up to now, there have been no successful pregnancies in cancer patients with eggs that have undergone IVM and freezing.

Some children, however, have been born as a result of IVM immediately followed by fertilisation and transfer to the patient.

Michael Grynberg, head of the Department of Reproductive Medicine and Fertility Preservation at Antoine Beclere University Hospital near Paris, recalled becoming aware of the 29-yearold patient’s case.

“I offered her the option of egg freezing after IVM, and also freezing ovarian tissue,” he said in a statement. “She rejected the second option, which was considered too invasive a couple of days after cancer diagnosis.” So-called cryopreservation of ovarian tissue is an experimental method in which the outer layer of an ovary is taken out of the body and frozen for future use.