Miracle baby for ovary transplant woman
In a world-first, a Belgian woman has given birth after revolutionary surgery to replace healthy ovarian tissue, which was removed from the woman before she received chemotherapy.
Ouarda Touirat, 32, had the tissue removed and frozen seven years ago, then re-implanted into her pelvis last year. She then conceived naturally and gave birth in Brussels’ Cliniques Universitaires, Saint-Luc. New mother Ouarda spoke at a press conference recently and was reportedly over the moon, exclaiming that it was a dream come true. A spokesperson from Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc said that mother and baby Tamara were both in very good health. Doctors across the world have been working to enable cancer patients to become pregnant for many years and Tamara’s birth offers hope to thousands of infertile cancer patients.
The Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc says it has frozen ovarian tissue from 146 other cancer patients and so far, the tissue has been re-implanted in two. The technique involves stripping a minute layer from the ovaries and cutting it into pieces, which are then frozen in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of almost -200ºC. The tissue can later be transplanted to any part of the body and still function.
