Fertility preservation: definition, history, and prospect.

Exposure to gonadotoxic agents for treating cancer and other diseases or postponement of maternity jeopardize the prospects of genetic parenthood and are major factors driving the development of fertility preservation technologies. Although its mainstays, cryopreservation and vitrification, have been adopted from infertility medicine for fertility preservation purposes, there is a need for additional specialized procedures, protocols, and biomedical devices. As its multidisciplinary character and aims diverge compared with other branches of reproductive medicine, we are witnessing the emergence of a field in its own right. Thieme Medical Publishers.