A red vial holding human eggs is removed from a storage tank. The first baby to be created from an egg matured in a laboratory, frozen, thawed and then fertilised, has been born in Canada.(AFP, File Photo)

    BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhuanet) -- The first test-tube baby created from an egg matured in the laboratory and then frozen has been born in Canada, researchers told a conference in France Monday.

    The research, presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Lyon, is a breakthrough offering hope to women with polycystic ovarian syndrome and cancer patients who have had aggressive treatment and become infertile.

It also removes the risks of over-stimulating women with hormone drugs, which can be fatal.

    Presently, three women are pregnant by the same method of taking immature eggs, maturing them in the laboratory and freezing them until they are thawed and fertilized, researchers said.

    "We have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to do this and, so far, we have achieved four successful pregnancies, one of which has resulted in a live birth. The other three pregnancies are ongoing," ????? Holzer, who led the team, said.

    Twenty women with polycystic ovarian syndrome took part in the research at the McGill Reproductive Center, Montreal. Holzer said the technique will offer hope for some women who cannot undergo normal hormone injections.

    The researchers matured the eggs in the laboratory for between 24 and 48 hours and 215 were frozen for a few months.

    Once thawed, 148 eggs survived and 64 were implanted in the women. Holzer believed that the success rate can be improved by adjusting the substance the eggs are matured in.

    "These results are preliminary and the pregnancy rate is probably associated with a learning curve; indeed three of the pregnancies were achieved in the last five patients," he said.

    However, Holzer and other experts believed it has the potential to become one of the main options for fertility preservation, especially for patients who cannot have ovarian stimulation and all patients who do not have enough time to undergo ovarian stimulation.

    Joep Geraedts, ESHRE's chairman elect, said "If this works in cancer patients, it might ultimately be possible to do this in all women that undergo IVF or assisted reproduction because then you don't need to bother them with hormones."

    It could also save money, since treatment with hormone drugs can cost thousands of dollars, said Geraedts.

(Agencies)