Ovarian tissue freezing (cryopreservation)
Ovarian tissue freezing is a surgery where a doctor removes 1 of your 2 ovaries (or tissue from 1 ovary) to use in the future if you ever decide to have biological children.
What are ovaries?
Ovaries are two small organs in your lower belly. You were born with tiny eggs stored in your ovaries. Over time, the number of eggs in your ovaries goes down.
When you go through puberty:
​
-
Hormones such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) cause follicles (sacs in the ovaries) that contain a tiny egg to grow it into a larger, mature egg.
​
-
The mature egg is released from one of your ovaries each month.
If an egg is fertilized (joins) with a sperm, it will implant itself into the wall of the uterus and begin to grow into a baby.
If the egg is not fertilized with sperm, you get your period (menstruation).
Where to start?
Who can choose ovarian tissue freezing?
You can think about choosing ovarian tissue freezing if:
​
-
You have ovaries.
​
-
You have not started puberty (have not gotten your first period).
-
You can't yet produce the larger, mature eggs needed for egg freezing.
-
-
You have gone through puberty and:
-
You can't delay your treatment for the time it takes to do egg freezing.
-
or
-
You don't want to or can't freeze your eggs for any other reason.
-
​
-
You have a higher risk level of fertility problems.
-
Or you have a medium risk, and your doctor or nurse says this is an option.
-
​
-
You are able to have a surgery.
What will I need to do if I choose ovarian tissue freezing?
A doctor or nurse will first give you medicine (anesthesia) to put you to sleep through the surgery so you won't feel anything.
1
The doctor will make very small cuts in your belly (laparoscopic surgery), so they can remove your ovary or ovary tissue to freeze and store for the future.
​
-
Sometimes doctors recommend regular surgery where they make a larger cut.
2
After the surgery, you will wake up and may feel sore and sleepy.
If you have laparoscopic surgery, usually you can go home the same day and do most activities in about 10-14 days. Most kids and teens feel better in a couple of days.
​
If your cancer or blood disease treatment starts right after your surgery, you may also feel symptoms from your treatment that limit your normal activities.
3
You'll go to the clinic or hospital for a surgery. The doctor will remove 1 of your ovaries (or tissue from it) from your body.
When can I do it? How long does it take?
Ovarian tissue freezing usually happens before you start treatment for cancer or a blood disease.
It may also be possible to do it between or after treatments.
​
The surgery usually takes one day. It can take a couple days or more to set up the surgery.
Talk with your doctor or nurse about the timing of your treatment and ovarian tissue freezing.
Where can I do ovarian tissue freezing?
Ovarian tissue freezing is new, and most places do not offer it yet. If your hospital or fertility clinic doesn’t, ask your doctor or nurse to refer you somewhere that offers this option.
You can also visit the Alliance for Fertility Preservation's "Fertility Scout" website as a starting point, although it may be incomplete.
The downsides
What are the side effects of ovarian tissue freezing?
You will feel side effects from the surgery, such as pain or soreness in your belly. This should go away within 10 to 14 days after the surgery.
What are the risks of ovarian tissue freezing?
Risks to you
Rarely, the surgery may cause:
-
Infection
-
Bleeding
-
Damage to other parts of the body
​
Anesthesia used for surgery may also carry risks.
In very rare cases, there may be cancer cells in the ovarian tissue when it’s placed back in your body in the future. Your doctor or nurse will say if this is a risk for you, and if that risk makes you unable to use this option.
Risks to your frozen ovarian tissue
There is a chance your ovarian tissue can’t be used if there’s a mistake or accident at the storage facility, such as a power outage. You can talk to the storage facility about what they do to prevent accidents.
How much does ovarian tissue freezing cost?
Surgery for ovarian tissue freezing may cost several thousand dollars.
How much the surgery will cost you depends on:
​
-
Where you have the surgery done
​
-
If your insurance plan covers part or all of the surgery
​
-
if you are already having surgery for your cancer or blood disease and can combine this surgery with ovarian tissue freezing​
​
-
Other factors
​
It may cost several hundred dollars a year to store your frozen ovarian tissue.
​
There could be costs in the future if you want to put your frozen ovarian tissue back in your body later.
Visit the “Costs” page to learn more about costs for fertility preservation and ways to cover them.
In the future
How would I use my frozen ovarian tissue in the future?
Try for pregnancy without using your frozen ovarian tissue
If you want or need to use your frozen ovarian tissue, doctors may:
Try for pregnancy using your frozen ovarian tissue
If you decide to have biological children someday, you can try to get pregnant without help from a doctor or fertility clinic if:
​
-
Your other ovary is working.
​
-
Your doctor has said it’s safe for you to try and get pregnant.
​
-
You have a partner that makes sperm.
If you try for 6-12 months and don’t get pregnant, you and your partner should see a fertility specialist. Doctors may suggest fertility treatments like taking medicine to encourage your ovaries to mature eggs.
1. Thaw your frozen ovarian tissue.
2. Put your thawed ovarian tissue back in your body.
3. Eggs in the ovarian tissue could start maturing so you may get pregnant. Some adult women have given birth this way.
Doctors are also looking at ways to use ovarian tissue in the lab to make a mature egg. This procedure isn’t ready yet. But, it may be ready by the time you want to use your ovarian tissue.
How well does ovarian tissue freezing work?
Until 2019, all ovarian tissue freezing was done as part of a research study. Now, doctors have enough information to offer it to more patients.
But we don’t know as much about how well ovarian tissue freezing works in kids and teens with cancer or a blood disease, especially kids who haven't reached puberty.
Because of this, your doctor or nurse may want you to do ovarian tissue freezing as part of a research study. We will continue to learn more about ovarian tissue freezing over time.
We have more information on egg freezing and have used it more than ovarian tissue freezing, if you are able and prefer to use an option that we have more information on.
Freezing your ovarian tissue may give you a higher chance of having a biological child, but it does not guarantee you will have a biological child someday.
Important note!
If you are unable to have biological children, there are other ways to become a parent. Visit this page to learn more.
