http://www.cosbeauty.com.au 119s !PPROXIMATELY
OF EGGS
WOULD SURVIVE WARMING IN THE FUTURE
s !PPROXIMATELY
OF SURVIVING
EGGS WOULD FERTILISE
s !PPROXIMATELY
OF FERTILISED
EGGS WOULD DEVELOP INTO EMBRYOS
AND
s ! SINGLE EMBRYO WOULD HAVE A
CHANCE OF DEVELOPING INTO
A PREGNANCY
3OURCE )6& !USTRALIA
@3O WE SEE THAT MEDICALLY MANY
WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH
CANCER ARE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS
OF CONCEIVING ENJOYING A HEALTHY
PREGNANCY AND BECOMING A MOTHER
SAYS $R 4EIRNEY
/FTEN THERE ARE ONLY A FEW DAYS
BETWEEN DIAGNOSIS AND BEGINNING
TREATMENT EXPLAINS 0ROFESSOR "ILL
,EDGER WHO HEADS UP THE &ERTILITY
2ESEARCH #ENTRE AT THE 2OYAL
(OSPITAL FOR 7OMEN IN 3YDNEY @)T IS
SOMETHING THE ONCOLOGISTS WANT TO
DO QUICKLY FOR OBVIOUS REASONS )F THE
CANCER IS AGGRESSIVE THEY MIGHT NOT
HAVE MUCH TIME
@4HE LIKELIHOOD OF THESE WOMEN
ACHIEVING THEIR DREAMS OF HAVING A
FAMILY IS GENERALLY QUITE GOOD SAYS
0ROFESSOR ,EDGER @)F WE CAN FREEZE
lVE OR SIX EMBRYOS OR EGGS FROM
SOMEONE UNDER THEN HER CHANCE OF
HAVING AT LEAST ONE CHILD IS BETTER THAN
lFTY
lFTY 9OU CAN NEVER GUARANTEE
OF COURSE 4HINGS CAN GO WRONG n
EGGS DONT ALWAYS FERTILISE EMBRYOS
DONT ALWAYS IMPLANT BUT IF WE GET A
REASONABLE NUMBER IN THE BANK AND SHE
IS YOUNGER THEN IT IS A BETTER CHANCE
)F A WOMAN IS OR OVER THEN OF COURSE
THE CHANCES ARENT AS HIGHPRE-TEENS AND
PRE-PUBESCENT GIRLS
"UT WHAT OF GIRLS WHO HAVENT YET
REACHED PUBERTY 7HAT ARE THEIR
OPTIONS !USTRALIAN
LED TECHNOLOGY
IS PROVING TO PAVE THE WAY GLOBALLY
FOR SUCH PATIENTS BY FREEZING OVARIAN
TISSUE FROM PRE
PUBESCENT GIRLS WITH
THE PLAN TO GRAFT IT ONCE CANCER
TREATMENT IS COMPLETED AND WHEN FERTILITY IS REQUIRED -ELBOURNE FERTILITY
SPECIALIST $R +ATE 3TERN IS LEADING
THE ADVANCEMENTS IN THIS AREA AND
TO DATE HER GROUP HAS TAKEN TISSUE
FROM OVER WOMEN AND YOUNG GIRLS
FACING INFERTILITY AS A RESULT OF THEIR
CANCER TREATMENT
@7E HAVE BEEN STORING OVARIAN
TISSUE FOR YEARS NOW SHE SAYS
@/BVIOUSLY IN THE EARLY DAYS WE
WERENT AS CONlDENT OF SUCCESS
BUT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THERE HAS
BEEN ENORMOUS PROGRESS IN RESEARCH
/UR lRST BIRTH n TWINS n WAS IN
7E HAVE NOW PUT TISSUE BACK INTO
AROUND PATIENTS AND HAVE HAD
lVE BABIES 7E HAVE ONLY BEEN
STORING TISSUE TAKEN FROM YOUNG
GIRLS FOR A FEW YEARS IN COLLABORATION
WITH THE TEAM AT THE 2OYAL #HILDRENS
(OSPITAL 7E HAVE NOT YET HAD
ANY REQUESTS TO GRAFT TISSUE INTO
WOMEN WHO WERE CHILDREN AT THE
TIME OF THEIR CANCER TREATMENT
4HESE PATIENTS HAVE NOT YET REACHED
AN AGE WHERE THEY ARE READY TO
BECOME PARENTS HOWEVER WE ARE
OPTIMISTIC THAT THE TECHNOLOGY WILL
BE VERY SUCCESSFUL
7E NOW GET REFERRALS TO HELP
PRESERVE FERTILITY FOR CHILDREN AND
YOUNG WOMEN ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH
BREAST CANCER WHICH IS ONE OF THE
COMMONEST CANCERS IN WOMEN OF
REPRODUCTIVE AGE &OR THESE WOMEN
WITH BREAST CANCER WE MAINLY STILL
DO EGG FREEZING (OWEVER THERE HAVE
BEEN SOME WOMEN WHO HAVE NOT
HAD ENOUGH TIME SO WE HAVE TAKEN
OVARIAN TISSUE &OR SOME WOMEN WE
DO BOTH
@7E ALSO CURRENTLY HAVE A GRANT
WITH THE 3ONY &OUNDATION WHICH
FOR YOUNG PATIENTS AGED BETWEEN
AND COVERS THE COST OF TRANSPORT
AND PROCESSING ALLOWING YOUNG
PEOPLE NOW THE OPPORTUNITY FOR BEST
PRACTICE FERTILITY PRESERVATION EVEN
IF THEY LIVE A LONG WAY AWAY FROM A
MAJOR CITY 4HIS IS SUCH AN EXCITING
OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND ACCESS TO CARE
FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE WHO NEED OUR
Dr Raewyn Teirney SPECIALISED SERVICESDr Raewyn Teirney and one of
her specialised fertility nurses.s.