'Infertile' woman has baby boy

A former cancer patient gave birth to the baby boy in Edinburgh

A former cancer patient who doctors were convinced had become infertile has given birth to a baby boy in Edinburgh.

Doctors at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children thought the 20-year-old's ovaries had failed after she underwent chemo and radiotherapy six years ago.

They said there was clear evidence the treatment had caused her sex organs to fail and believe her birth from a natural conception is a world first.

Medics claim the news could give hope to other cancer patients.

It was a great surprise that she managed to have a pregnancy and carry the baby to term and have a healthy baby Dr Hamish Wallace Royal Hospital for Sick Children

Dr Hamish Wallace, who treated the unnamed mother, said hormonal tests had suggested her ovaries had stopped working.

She developed the malignant bone cancer Ewing's sarcoma more than six years ago.

After undergoing successful treatment she did not have regular periods and required hormone replacement therapy to prevent symptoms of the menopause.

A strip of her ovaries had even been removed and frozen so she could, in theory, have it replanted into her body to try to conceive normally at a later date.

A year after turning down the chance to have the implant, she conceived and gave birth to her new son without any medical assistance.

'Happy Event'

Dr Wallace, a consultant paediatric oncologist, told The Herald newspaper: "We were very concerned that she would not be able to have her own baby because of her treatment and the hormone tests were showing her that her ovaries had packed up.

"It was a great surprise that she managed to have a pregnancy and carry the baby to term and have a healthy baby.

"She was absolutely delighted. It was a happy event all round."

Similar cases have been reported before but Dr Wallace said the Scottish case was the first of its kind to be documented.

Dr Wallace added that it raised questions about whether to stop pioneering work which led to a similar pregnancy last year.

Ouarda Touirat gave birth to a baby after fertility treatment last year

Belgian cancer patient Ouarda Touirat became the first woman to give birth after frozen ovarian tissue was planted back in her body in September.

Dr Wallace said the Scottish case, reported in the magazine Obesity, Fitness and Wellness Week, showed doctors could not be certain Mrs Touirat's child had developed from one of the frozen eggs.

The news from Belgium led to calls for all young women diagnosed with cancer to freeze a strip of ovarian tissue before starting treatment.

But Dr Wallace was among those who said removing tissue from all patients was not justified as the procedure was invasive and carried risks, particularly to women awaiting cancer treatment - the majority of whom were not rendered infertile.