Surgical Procedure
Could Delay Menopause The procedure, which has
been performed on 10 British
women, could delay
menopause up to 20 years. Performed by doctors at
the ProFam in Birmingham,
England, the women range
in age between 22 and 36. The procedure
consists of surgically
removing a piece of
the patient's ovaries. The tissue is frozen
cryogenically, and then
thawed once the patient
is close to menopause. When re-implanted,
natural youthful
hormones are reestablished. Similar procedures for
women battling cancer
have been conducted, but
never on women who were healthy. While remarkable,
the full effects of the
procedure won't be
known for decades.
