The young woman from London wanted a risky stem cell transplant to treat her multiple sclerosis. She knew the chemotherapy involved with the transplant probably would leave her infertile.
So before traveling to Chicago almost two years ago for the treatment being studied by researchers at Northwestern University, she made a stop in St. Louis. Two days before her transplant, Dr. Sherman Silber at St. Luke’s Hospital removed her ovary, cut the egg-producing tissues into strips and froze them.