Cryopreservation and orthotopic transplantation of mouse ovaries: new approach in gamete banking.

Mouse half ovaries were cryopreserved and orthotopically transplanted into ovariectomized recipients genetically identical to ovary donors except for the coat color gene. Fertility was reestablished in 57% of the female recipients, which became pregnant in an average of 40 days after transplantation of frozen-thawed half ovaries. These experiments demonstrate that ovary cryopreservation can be a very useful option for banking mouse germplasm, or managing subfertile animal colonies, when embryo or sperm freezing cannot be used or is not cost effective.