ABSTRACT
The majority of cancer treatments are invasive. Gonadal injuries cause reductions in fertility which results in lack of hope for conception in cancer patients and frustration for their partners. Fortunately, current advancements in cryopreservation and transplantation sciences regarding fertility preservation lead to cryostorage of gonads and preservation prior to the onset of chemo- and radiotherapy treatments. Accordingly in women, the main goal of ovarian cryopreservation is establishment of fertility and hormonal cycle restoration after auto-transplantation. Although the history of ovarian transplantation dates back to the 19[th] century, there are reports of live human births following ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation since the past 100 years. Despite this success and additional research in the field of ovarian cryopreservation and transplantation, numerous questions remain unanswered. Among these questions, growth factors and hormonal changes because of their effects on follicular function appear to be more important during ovarian tissue transplantation. This review attempts to address hormones and growth factor functions with the specifics of ovarian cryopreservation and auto-transplantation