The workshop is held at the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology in Copenhagen, Denmark, that performe 60-70 cryopreservations of human ovarian tissue each year.
The Laboratory is led by Professor Claus Yding Andersen and has performed over 550 cryopreservations of human ovarian tissue since 1999. 21 autotransplantations of frozen/thawed pieces of ovarian tissue has been performed resulting in 4 live births so far. Two of these children were born following transport of the ovarian tissue for a period of 5 h prior to cryopreservation. One of these women, who was originally transplanted with six pieces of ovarian cortex, after having experienced a period of menopause conceived again following natural conception. She gave birth to a healthy girl on 23 September 2008 and is the first woman in the world to have had two children, from separate pregnancies, born as a result of transplanting frozen/thawed ovarian tissue. Laboratory of Reproductive Biology is the only institution in Denmark that perform the cryopreservation of ovarian tissue, and as a result we receive ovaries from three main hospitals in Denmark. The laparoscopical removal of the human ovary is performed at the fertility clinic at the respective hospital, and the ovary is transported on ice to the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology for cryopreservation. The team performing the cryopreservation procedure consists of experienced scientists and laboratory technicians who have years of expertise in the technique of preparing the ovarian tissue for cryopreservation.