Have you ever wished you could delay the dreaded menopause? Well, according to a surgeon, now you can…
The Irish Daily Mail reports that women could soon be able to delay going through the menopause and having children by having an ovary transplant. Yes, it sounds a bit weird, but according to Dr Sherman Silber, the man who carried out the first ever transplant operation, it’s perfectly possible.
According to the surgeon, similar techniques are already being used to save the ovaries of women who are being treated for cancer, and ovary transplants for social reasons (like delaying the menopause) were a realistic option for helping women to preserve their fertility.
Dr Silber presented his findings at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference in Istanbul.
“Transplanted ovarian tissue can robustly restore menstrual cycles and fertility, and may even in the future be used to postpone the normal time of menopause or to alleviate its symptoms,” he said.
“A young ovary can be transplanted back at any time and it will extend fertility and delay the menopause. You could even wait until you were 47,” he added.
However, Dr Silber’s findings have provoked responses from other members of the medical community.
Professor Nick Macklon, the medical director of the Complete Fertility Centre, said that freezing ovarian tissue for social reasons raised ethical issues that would need to be debated by society as well as doctors.
What do you think? Would you ever have an ovary transplant?
