An electronic version of the Biology of Reproduction includes a recent paper by Oncofertility Consortium researchers, titled, “In Vitro Oocyte Maturation and Preantral Follicle Culture from the Luteal Phase Baboon Ovary Produce Mature Oocytes.” While traditional IVF procedures are options for some female cancer patients to undergo fertility preservation, they require weeks of hormonal stimulation and delay in cancer treatment. The studies by authors Min Xu, Asgerally T. Fazleabas, Ariella Shikanov, Erin Jackson, Susan L. Barrett, Jenny Hirshefeld-Cytron, Sarah E. Kiesewetter, Lonnie D. Shea, and Teresa K. Woodruff, reveal that non-human primate follicles derived from the luteal-phase of the menstrual cycle can be developed in culture to produce mature oocytes. If translated to women, these methods could provide another way for young cancer patients to undergo fertility preservation without delaying cancer treatment. Read a blog post about the Xu et al. paper.
