• Endometrial Thickness- a Practical Prospective Marker for the Risk of Surgical Intervention after RU486 Induced Abortion

• Editorial for the Recent Developments in Reproductive Health Special Issue

• Introductory Editorial to the journal

In this interview Dr Blumenfeld discusses his research, recently published articles and his views on open access publishing.

What is the primary focus of your research?

Preservation ovarian function and fertility in young women exposed to gonadotoxic chemotherapy.

What are the most exciting developments arising from current research in your area?

The improvement in cryopreservation of unfertilized ova and the validation of GnRH-a as an effective means of minimizing gonadal failure, by three prospective randomized studies and a meta-analysis.

How did you come to be working in your research area?

By the observation that premature ovarian failure after similar chemotherapy in prepubertal girls is only 8% versus 30-60% in women in the reproductive age.

What do you think about the development of open access publishing? Have you published in an open access journal? What motivated you to do so?

Yes, I think it is a great improvement for readers, especially scientists and physicians from developing countries, and young investigators, residents, and fellows all over the world.

What articles and/or books have you published recently?

• Preservation of fertility in patients with cancer. Blumenfeld Z. N Engl J Med. 2009 Jun 18;360(25):2680-1.

• The beneficial role of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists on fertility preservation. Blumenfeld Z. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2009 May 29.

• GnRH-agonists in fertility preservation.Blumenfeld Z. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2008 Dec;15(6):523-8. Review.

• GnRH-analogues and oral contraceptives for fertility preservation in women during chemotherapy.Blumenfeld Z, von Wolff M. Hum Reprod Update. 2008 Nov-Dec;14(6):543-52. Epub 2008 Sep 29. Review.

• How to preserve fertility in young women exposed to chemotherapy? The role of GnRH agonist cotreatment in addition to cryopreservation of embrya, oocytes, or ovaries. Blumenfeld Z. Oncologist. 2007;12:1044-54. Review.

• The neuroprotective effect of Activin A and B: implication for neurodegenerative diseases. Kupershmidt L, Amit T, Bar-Am O, Youdim MB, Blumenfeld Z. J Neurochem. 2007 Nov;103(3):962-71. Epub 2007 Aug 6.

• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist decreases chemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity and premature ovarian failure in young female patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. Blumenfeld Z, Avivi I, Eckman A, Epelbaum R, Rowe JM, Dann EJ. Fertil Steril. 2008 Jan;89(1):166-73. Epub 2007 Jun 28.

• Spontaneous pregnancy and normal delivery after repeated autologous bone marrow transplantation and GnRH agonist treatment. Blumenfeld Z, Benaroush M, Zuckerman T. Hum Reprod. 2007;22:2346. Epub 2007 Apr 23.

• Preservation of Fertility and Ovarian Function and Minimizing. Chemotherapy Induced Gonadotoxicity in Young Women by GnRH. A. J.National Cancer Institute Monogr. 2005; 34:40-3.

• Blumenfeld Z. Editorial—Recent Developments in Clinical Medicine: Reproductive Health. Clinical Medicine: Reproductive Health 2008:2 1-3. 14 Jul 2008

• Blumenfeld Z. GnRH-agonists in fertility preservation. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity. 2008 Dec; 15(6):523-8.

• Blumenfeld Z, Abdallah W, Sela-Guttmann O, Brook OR. Triplet Gestation- Prevention, Risks, & Management Dilemmas. The Open Women’ Health Journal, 2008, 2, 11-21.

• Blumenfeld Z, Abdallah W, Kaplan D, Nevo O. Endometrial thickness- a practical prospective marker for the risk of surgical intervention after RU486 induced abortion. Clinical Medicine: Reproductive Health. 2008:2; 25–30.

• Blumenfeld Z. Premature ovarian failure: etiology and possible prevention. Expert Review of Endocrinology & Metabolism 2009; 4:173-181.

More information about Dr Blumenfeld:

• Editor in Chief biographical sketch on Clinical Medicine: Reproductive Health

My thanks to Dr Blumenfeld.