Fertility Preservation In The Pediatric Population

Fertility preservation in children has long only been considered for those facing gonadotoxic treatments in the setting of new diagnoses of cancer. However, this field is now being expanded to include children with other conditions affecting fertility such as rheumatologic/nephrologic disease and even the transgender population, where fertility preservation counseling and discussion is in its infancy. Research regarding the optimal methods, timing, and eventual outcomes of both ovarian and testicular tissue storage in prepubertal girls and boys, respectively, as well as data on outcomes of oocyte and semen cryopreservation in adolescence is lacking. Deriving mainly from literature in adults, ovarian tissue cryopreservation has recently been deemed non-experimental; knowledge gaps still exist in the pediatric population.