International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Women who undergo ovary transplants to preserve their fertility could also live longer, new research has revealed.

Researchers in the study, which took place in Tokyo, transplanted ovaries from young mice into ageing ones.

They found the transplant not only made the rodents fertile, but it also prolonged their life and energised their behaviour.

Study leader Dr Noriko Kagawa from the Kato Ladies' Clinic in Tokyo said the implant increased the lifespan of the mice by 40 per cent.

"The completely unexpected extra benefit of fertility-preserving procedures in our mouse studies indicates that there is a possibility that carrying out similar procedures in women could lengthen their lifespans in general."

Cancer patients tend to undergo the transplants as the therapies used to treat the disease can leave women infertile.

Earlier this year, Stinne Holm Bergholdt from Denmark gave birth to her second child naturally following an ovarian transplant.

Posted by Paul Robertson