Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue: banking reproductive potential for the future.

Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue is a technology that holds promise for banking reproductive potential for the future. It may be apropos for cancer survivors who have undergone treatment with sterility-inducing chemotherapy. Although there is some evidence suggesting cellular and molecular injury with the freezing and thawing process, there are examples in both animals and humans that transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue can effectively bank reproductive potential for the future. This technology may ultimately have applications for in vitro fertilization, and preventing natural or iatrogenic menopause.