Stop the Fertility Clock

With more than 150 million couples affected by infertility, scientists and doctors are constantly researching new treatments and techniques that could make overcoming infertility easier, less costly, and less time consuming.

Infertility specialists are focusing their research not only on ways to improve the success rates of existing treatments (such as IVF with ICSI), but also on ways to make the procedure less of a health worry for women. Specifically, doctors are aiming to reduce the number of fertility drugs needed.


Most couples burdened with infertilitydo not seek help conceiving due to the high costs of infertility treatments and the invasiveness of the procedures. The numbers of infertile women are growing exponentially – in part due to women delaying childbirth. The average age for first-time pregnancy is currently 26-29, up 5 years on the average age of 30 years ago. As fertility naturally starts to decline after the age of 24, more and more women are being told they require treatment to conceive due to age related infertility.

One infertility specialist, Dr. Sherman Silber, believes that it is possible to stop age related infertility by pausing the clock. His research currently focuses around the possibility of freezing and cryopreserving ovarian tissue for use at a later date.

Dr Silber has an excellent track record in new methods of treating infertility. Since 2004 the surgeon has successfully achieved both ovarian tissue transplantation and a complete ovary transplant – restoring fertility to women using their own or a relative’s tissue, allowing them to conceive and have a completely natural pregnancy.

Dr. Silber says this is the way forward for women who are delaying childbirth or for women who are diagnosed with cancer and require fertility damaging treatment. By freezing ovarian tissue or a complete ovary women may be able to reverse aging and have the ovarian function of a much younger version of themselves.

This method of fertility treatment could also potentially provide an option to those who struggle to find the $10,000-$15,000 that is required for IVF treatment. One cycle of IVF can cost up to $10,000 making it unaffordable to many. Freezing ovarian tissue costs around $4,000 – a significant saving if the success rates are comparable.

Currently few clinics offer patients the option of ovarian tissue freezing, but it is projected to become more widespread as additional research is conducted into the effectiveness of this alternative to IVF and fertility drugs.