Researchers have successfully transplanted stems cells from a woman’s bone marrow into her ovaries to revive her fertility

A stem cell treatment has reversed the early menopause in several women, raising the prospect of restoring fertility and eliminating the need for hormone replacement therapy.

In one case, a Canadian doctor’s ovaries had prematurely stopped functioning six years previously but were “rejuvenated” after researchers transplanted cells from her bone marrow. Her periods resumed seven months later.

The goal is to develop the technique into a female infertility treatment and to replace HRT with a one-off surgical procedure for women who experience severe menopause symptoms.

There are about 400,000 such patients in the UK but most do not take HRT, often because it has been linked to an elevated risk of breast cancer.

“Further down the road . . . patients who are post-menopausal will