JLE

Médecine de la Reproduction

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Premature ovarian failure and conservation of the fertility Volume 16, issue 4, Octobre-Novembre-Décembre 2014

Authors
1 AP-HP, IE3M, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Department of Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine et centre de référence des maladies endocriniennes rares de la croissance, 47/83, boulevard de l’hôpital, 75013 Paris cedex 13, France
2 UPMC université Paris 06, Paris, France
3 AP-HP, Hôpital Jean-Verdier, service de procréation médicale assistée et de préservation de la fertilité, université Paris 13, Bondy, France
* Tirés à part

Premature ovarian failure (POF) affects 1% of women. It is characterized by a hypergonadotropic hypogonadism over four months before 40 years. The issue of fertility is at the forefront among its women, although there is sometimes a recovery of ovarian function and spontaneous pregnancy. During the last decade, the life expectancy for patients with cancer, has realized the importance of developing techniques for fertility preservation. This support depends of the onset of puberty or not. Embryo cryopreservation and/or oocyte require a period of two to four weeks as compared with ovarian stimulation. However, the development of techniques for in vitro oocyte maturation allows the realization of oocyte cryopreservation or embryo regardless of the phase of the cycle, and without ovarian stimulation, particularly useful in emergencies or hormone-dependent disease. Finally, cryopreservation of ovarian fragments, although still regarded as experimental, is the only technology used in girls before puberty.