Massachusetts General Hospital Researchers Confirm that Bone Marrow Restores Fertility in Female Mice

BOSTON - July 31, 2007 - A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers confirms that female mice that receive bone marrow transplantation after fertility-destroying chemotherapy can go on to have successful pregnancies throughout their normal reproductive life. The report in the August 1 Journal of Clinical Oncology verifies that donor marrow can restore fertility in female mice through an as-yet unidentified mechanism. While donor-derived egg cells or oocytes were observed in the ovaries of marrow recipients, all pups born were from the recipients' own eggs.