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title: Woman Gves Birth After Transplant of Her Own Frozen Ovarian Tissue
description: The case is seen as a scientific breakthrough, especially for those who lose their fertility through cancer treatments.
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article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T08:04:17.878Z
article:section: Health
og:title: Ovarian Tissue Transplant Gives Fertility Hope
og:description: A woman has given birth after a transplant of her own frozen ovarian tissue
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twitter:title: Ovarian Tissue Transplant Gives Fertility Hope
twitter:description: A woman has given birth after a transplant of her own frozen ovarian tissue
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# Woman Gives Birth After a Transplant of Her Own Frozen Ovarian Tissue

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by 

[Joanna Plucinska](https://time.com/author/joanna-plucinska/)


## Joanna Plucinska


Jun 10, 2015 7:33 AM UTC

by 

[Joanna Plucinska](https://time.com/author/joanna-plucinska/)


## Joanna Plucinska


Jun 10, 2015 7:33 AM UTC

Over a decade ago, a bone marrow transplant left a Belgian girl infertile. Now, a transplant of her own frozen ovarian tissue has helped her get pregnant and give birth to a healthy baby boy, Sky News [reports](http://news.sky.com/story/1499192/baby-born-after-frozen-ovarian-tissue-transplant).

The scientific breakthrough is likely to benefit other sick children who lose their fertility through cancer treatments.

“Freezing ovarian tissue is the only available option for preserving their fertility,” Dr Isabelle Demeestere, a fertility specialist at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, told media. The details of the transplant were published in _Human Reproduction_, a medical journal.

The patient, who suffered from sickle cell anemia, was 13 when her ovary was frozen and she had yet to start her period.

A decade later, four pieces of the frozen tissue were transplanted onto the patient’s remaining ovary at her request. Two years after the transplant, she was pregnant, Sky News reports

Doctors reportedly expect the woman’s ovary function to remain normal, allowing her to have more children in the future.

\[[_Sky News_](http://news.sky.com/story/1499192/baby-born-after-frozen-ovarian-tissue-transplant)\]

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