Role of autologous bone marrow-derived stem cell therapy for follicular recruitment in premature ovarian insufficiency: Review of literature and a case report of world's first baby with ovarian autologous stem cell therapy in a perimenopausal woman of age 45 year

Stem cell (SC) therapy has come up enormously, particularly for indications where not much can be done medically or surgically to improve the condition. SCs are the foundation cells for every organ, tissue, and cell in the body, and it can either reproduce into a SC or differentiate into specialized types of cells. Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a clinical syndrome defined by loss of ovarian activity before the age of 40 years. POI is characterized by menstrual disturbance (amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea) with raised gonadotropins, low anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), and estradiol level. Autologous SCs were tried in POI to increase the follicular recruitment and avoiding the need for oocyte donation program. This review analyzes the causes, etiopathogenesis, and role of autologous bone marrow-derived SC therapy (ABMDSCT) in POI. It also highlights the recent studies and summarizes the current understanding and future directions for SCs in POI. Here, we also report the first successful birth of a baby from India, where autologous SC therapy in a 45-year-old perimenopausal single woman helped in procuring a pregnancy and delivery of a healthy 2.7 kg female baby through assisted reproduction. In the absence of SC therapy, accepting oocyte donor program or adoption would have been the only viable options for this patient for which she was not ready. This may be the world's first successful case of application of ABMDSCT in a 45-year-old female to give successful birth to a healthy baby.