Reproduction Abstracts

In contrast to the testis, the ovary is an internal organ which contains a finite supply of primordial follicles, enclosed by ovarian somatic cells. Development of ovulatory follicles from this primordial pool capable of releasing a developmentally competent oocyte is an extremely complex developmental process which involves interactions between an array of local factors, the pituitary gonadotrophins and other endocrine factors. Elucidation of these local and endocrine mechanisms and the translational application of this knowledge to enable the treatment of infertility and preservation of fertility has been greatly complicated by the internal location of the ovary within the abdominal cavity. Surgical intervention models, such as ovarian and uterine autotransplants, were initially developed to overcome these issues by facilitating access to the reproductive tract and associated vasculature for mechanistic research. These experimental models proved pivotal in the determination of the basic endocrinology of the ovulatory reproductive cycles, the study of the relative roles of the gonadotrophins in the control of the terminal stages of ovulatory follicle development and the modulatory role that local factors played in this stimulatory process. Surgical skills developed as part of this process were in turn pivotal in the successful utilisation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue for ovarian autografting and/or whole ovarian autotransplantation as a potential means to restore fertility to women at risk of premature ovarian failure. In this presentation, the development and applications of these experimental models will be reviewed prior to discussion of the efficacy and application of these related strategies for fertility preservation.