Second child makes medical history for frozen ovary mother

Medical doctor Stinne Bergholdt is the first woman in the world to

undergo the procedure and become a mother twice with separate pregnancies.

She described the birth of her second baby yesterday, achieved without the help of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment, as "a miracle".

Dr Bergholdt, from Odense, Denmark, was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer that mainly affects the bones, at the age of 27 in 2004.

Before starting chemotherapy, which would have left her sterile, part of her right ovary was removed and frozen.

In December 2005, after successful treatment, six thin strips of frozen ovarian tissue were thawed and transplanted onto what remained of her right ovary.

After mild ovarian stimulation she became pregnant and gave birth to her first daughter, Aviaja, in February, 2007.

The following year Dr Bergholdt returned to the clinic to have IVF treatment. But it was unnecessary since a pregnancy test revealed she had conceived again naturally.

Nine children worldwide have now been born as a result of freezing and thawing ovarian tissue.

Lucca's birth is important because it shows a single procedure can keep a woman fertile over periods of years.

Doctors believe young women undergoing cancer treatment could be helped for decades.

Professor Claus Yding Andersen, from the University Hospital of Copenhagen, who has pioneered the technique and treated Dr Bergholdt, said: "It is an amazing fact that these ovarian strips have been working for so long and it provides information on how powerful this technique can be.

"As long as the tissue remains properly stored in liquid nitrogen, it could remain functional for as long as 40 years."