New fertility technique targets women with cancer

By Michael Kahn

BARCELONA (Reuters) - A new technique may help newly diagnosed cancer patients preserve their eggs, and perhaps their fertility, before chemotherapy, German researchers said on Monday.

Currently, many women collect and freeze some of their eggs to try to have children after their cancer treatment, which can make them infertile. The process can take up to six weeks.

But if a cancer diagnosis comes at the start of the menstrual cycle, many women are unable to delay chemotherapy and preserve their eggs, Michael Von Wolf told the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

"Depending on what phase of her menstrual cycle is in when she receives a cancer diagnoses, it can take between two and six weeks to start ovarian stimulation and collect (eggs)," said Von Wolff, a researcher at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

"Two weeks is an acceptable amount of time in many diseases to wait before starting a cancer treatment such as chemotherapy, but three to six weeks is far too long."

In their study of 40 women, the researchers wanted to see if they could stop the menstrual cycle during what is known as the luteal phase and stimulate a woman's follicles as if it were earlier in the cycle.

NO NEW DRUGS

The luteal phase is the part of the menstrual cycle from ovulation to the start of the next menstruation.