Assessment of ovarian reserve following ovarian tissue banking and/or GnRH-a co-treatment prior to chemotherapy in patients with Hodgkin’s disease

Purpose To examine ovarian reserve following chemotherapy in women with Hodgkin’s disease. Methods The study included nine patients who underwent ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTCP) prior to chemotherapy consisting of the ABVD regimen (Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) and co-treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) (Group A), and 13 patients treated by the ABVD protocol only without GnRH-a (Group B). The average age was 25.2 ± 2.7 years for the women in Group A and 31.8 ± 6.8 years for those in Group B. Results Six months following the end of chemotherapy, the menstrual cycle resumed in all Group A patients and in four Group B patients who had amenorrhea. Eight Group B patients had regular menses during and after chemotherapy. None of the patients suffered from ovarian failure. Two Group A patients conceived in the first year after completing chemotherapy. Conclusions Co-treatment with GnRH-a has little effect on ovarian protection in women with Hodgkin’s disease.