Experiment Raises Hope on Damaged Ovaries

Sections of ovaries taken from two patients in Chicago were implanted in their arms and continued to function there, raising hopes women can avoid the loss of fertility that often accompanies treatments for cancer and other diseases.

In both cases, the tissue produced clearly visible welt-sized bumps--mini ovaries, really--on the forearm, just below the elbow. But more important, the tissue appears to be functioning normally and has produced mature eggs and regulates the menstrual cycle. That offers hope that the women, both in their 30s, could become pregnant.

Dr. Kutluk Oktay, a Cornell University reproductive endocrinologist who performed the transplants at New York Methodist Hospital, said the procedure could potentially benefit the estimated 40,000 to 50,000 U.S. women diagnosed annually with cancer during reproductive years, who may require chemotherapy or radiation that can damage ovaries.