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She has baby using ovary frozen when 9

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LONDON A woman in Britain has become the first to give birth after having her fertility restored using ovarian tissue frozen before the onset of puberty, doctors said.

Mrs Moaza Al Matrooshi, 24, had her right ovary removed when she was nine before undergoing chemotherapy treatment for a severe blood disorder, said the University of Leeds where the ovarian tissue was frozen.

Her fertility was restored after the preserved tissue was transplanted last year, it said.

Ms Helen Picton, head of the university's reproduction and early development division, who carried out the freezing, said: "It is the first time that the success of the procedure has been shown in a pre-pubertal girl and I'm delighted that this young woman has had her baby."

Mrs Al Matrooshi gave birth to a baby boy at the private Portland Hospital in London on Tuesday, BBC reported.

She told the BBC: "It's like a miracle. We've been waiting so long for this result - a healthy baby."

The Dubai national was born with beta thalassaemia, a blood disorder that reduces the production of haemoglobin and can be life-threatening.

She needed chemotherapy in preparation for a bone marrow transplant to treat the disorder but the treatment damaged her remaining ovary, bringing on the menopause in her early 20s, the university said.

AFTER TRANSPLANT

"Following her transplant, her hormone levels began returning to normal, she began ovulating and her fertility was restored," it said on its website.

Said Ms Picton: "Moaza is a pioneer and was one of the first patients we helped back in 2001, before any baby had been born from ovary tissue preservation."

Last year, a Belgian woman gave birth after undergoing the same procedure with ovarian tissue frozen when she was 13.

However, "unlike Moaza, she had begun going through puberty when her ovary was removed", said the university.

Mr Adam Balen, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said: "This is a groundbreaking step in this area of fertility preservation and has the potential to help many young people who face cancer treatment preserve their fertility chances in the future." - AFP

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