|
8th June 2005 Baby for infertile woman A woman who was left infertile in her teens has given birth to a healthy baby girl after receiving transplanted ovarian tissue from her identical twin sister. The transplant was carried out at St Luke's Hospital in St Louis in April last year and it is thought this is the first birth following transplantation of ovarian tissue from one person to another. Stephanie Yarber, 25, went through a very early menopause at the age of 14 but her identical twin sister - Melanie Morgan - did not. Mother of three, Melanie, donated her eggs in a bid to help her sister become a mother but was unsuccessful so docotrs carried out a five hour long operation to transplant some of her ovarian tissue to her sister instead. The risk of organ rejection was minimal because identical twins have the same genes increasing the chances of success. Dr Sherman Silber and colleagues who carried out the operation said although ovarian transplantation between identical twins would be rare, the technique had great potential for many women. "The demonstration that ovarian function can be restored and that natural conception and successful pregnancy can be achieved after transplantation of ovarian tissue may have broader implications for young women, such as those who require potentially sterilising treatment for cancer." Dr Allan Pacey, secretary of the British Fertility Society and senior lecturer at Sheffield University, agreed. "The success of this procedure may help us to better understand how to help women who want to preserve their fertility prior to potentially sterilising cancer treatment. "To be able to successfully graft back a piece of a woman's ovary that was frozen before her cancer treatment, would be of great benefit to women who were diagnosed with cancer at an early age." However, he added, "This kind of transplantation would be very, very rare and is not without risk to either party. For the majority of cases, egg donation would be a much easier and safer option." Where to next?
|
News
|
|
