In Marseille, a patient with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and ovarian failure recently managed to give birth to a boy and a girl.
- At 23, Sandrine was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and received treatment that could affect her fertility.
- So that she could one day become a mother, her entire ovary was removed by laparoscopy and her ovarian tissue containing the gametes was frozen.
- In 2019, the patient received a transplant of her ovarian tissue and had recourse to IVF. After several attempts, she became pregnant with twins who were born on February 27.
In 2008, Sandrine, then 23 years old, learned that she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is manifested by enlarged lymph nodes. To cure her cancer, she received a first round of chemotherapy. Problem: the treatment does not work. Thus, his oncologist develops a new, more powerful and more toxic treatment. One of the side effects is to cause significant damage to the ovaries and impaired fertility, according to the University Hospitals of Marseille.
Fertility and cancer: a whole ovary removed and ovarian tissue frozen
“It was my mother who initially asked the oncologist the question of fertility. For my part, I would never have thought of it. At the time, I was focused on cancer and the fight it was going to have to lead against him. I am infinitely grateful to him today for having been able to see beyond “, said Sandrine. So that she can become a mother one day, the doctors removed an entire ovary from her by laparoscopy and froze the ovarian tissue containing the gametes, which must be extracted before the age of 36, so that she can use it after a remission. . “From 2012, every year, I did a blood test to check where my ovarian reserve was, as well as an ultrasound to observe whether or not there were follicles.”
An ovarian tissue transplant, “a technique that had already shown very good results”
Ten years later, in 2019, the patient and her companion decide to have a child and approach Professor Blandine Courbiere to find out what can be done to give them a chance of becoming parents. “Sandrine presented with premature ovarian failure. We suggested that she perform a transplant of part of the tissue fragments removed in 2009. This is a technique that had already shown very good results in other studies in France and abroad. internationally, but it was a first for Marseille.”
IVF: the patient becomes pregnant with twins after several hormonal stimulations
In December, the transplant is performed. This transplant made it possible to restore her endocrine ovarian function and menstruation as of April 2020. A year and a half later, a second transplant was performed due to the absence of pregnancy and the exhaustion of the grafts. Professor Blandine Courbiere and her team then offered the couple to do IVF, which failed because Sandrine did not react to hormonal stimulation.
After several attempts, she reacts a little better to stimulation. “Two mature follicles are punctured and cultured. Both follicles are fertilized and transferred on June 28, 2022. 14 days later, the pregnancy test is positive. An ultrasound performed early shows that Sandrine is pregnant with twins”can we read in the press release of the hospital facility.
In February, she gives birth to a boy and a girl a month early
This pregnancy, which was good news, raised fears. The patient had to be hospitalized for fear of premature delivery. “I finally gave birth to my two little twins, a boy and a girl, on February 27, only a month early. We call them our two little miracles. It’s a pretty extraordinary journey when you think about it. L “The welcome, care and support have always been excellent. What we may have missed was psychological support, which would have helped us through these ordeals, individually and also for our couple.”
