Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Professor Dr. Murat Sönmezer stated that the freezing and transplantation of ovarian tissue is a method used to preserve fertility in cancer or non-cancer related diseases and is only performed in advanced centers.
Sönmezer emphasized that a limited number of successful pregnancies have been achieved with this method and said, "We started this method in Türkiye for the first time in 2004 with a project from the State Planning Organization. After 19 years of intensive work and effort, we have become one of the world's few centers that bring hope to patients."
"High-dose chemotherapy destroys ovarian reserves in cancer patients"
Sönmezer explained that this method is different from egg or embryo freezing and provided the following information:
"This method involves freezing and then thawing ovarian tissue before chemotherapy or stem cell treatment, followed by transplantation to the patient. Particularly in cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy, ovarian reserves are depleted due to chemotherapy. These patients enter menopause and lose their chances of having a baby. Many of these patients are young and single.
With this method, ovarian tissue is collected and frozen from patients before chemotherapy or radiotherapy. When they want to have a child, the frozen ovarian tissue that belongs to the individual is thawed and transplanted to the patient through laparoscopic surgery. The patient's menopause is reversed. After this stage, the patient can become pregnant naturally or through in vitro fertilization."
Sönmezer pointed out that the method has rare examples in the world and said, "It can be applied in a few highly developed countries. In Türkiye, we have achieved pregnancy in three separate cases so far. Our first patient had leukemia, which is blood cancer. This leukemia patient was the second case in the world. The second case in Türkiye was a patient with brain cancer. Pregnancy was also achieved in this patient using the same method. Now, pregnancy has been achieved in a thalassemia patient who underwent stem cell treatment."
Emphasizing that achieving a successful pregnancy using frozen and thawed ovarian tissue in a non-cancer disease like thalassemia is a first in Türkiye, Sönmezer evaluated that this method provides hope for thalassemia patients who will undergo stem cell transplantation and want to become mothers in the future.
