A woman from San Francisco, on one of the U.S. coasts where cutting-edge fertility treatment is de rigueur, recently traveled to the Midwest for an experimental procedure that could bring back desired feminine qualities. Joy Lagos received a whole ovary from her sister, Meapple Chaney, through transplant surgery by Sherman Silber MD in St. Louis, Missouri.
Sticking his professional neck out is nothing new for Silber. From his post at Infertility Center of St Louis, he's already well known as a pioneer of microsurgical techniques to reverse both tubal ligation and vasectomy, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and just a few years ago, the transplant of ovarian tissue pieces that resulted in successful pregnancies.
In an Associated Press article, Joy Lagos talked about her distress from being thrown into early menopause as a result of cancer treatment before the age of 30. Cured from cancer, she then had to deal with osteoporosis, decreased libido, and hormone-related emotional changes, in addition to infertility. She hopes that the ovarian transplant will renew her life and result in children.
Once again, the world will be watching one of Dr. Sherman Silber's patients for future signs of success.