Highlights from Our First Member Survey

To guide OvaNet’s development, we launched our first community survey to better understand members’ expertise, priorities, and challenges in ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation.

So far, 33 of our 219 members (15%) have responded. We are deeply grateful to those who took the time to share their insights. Your input is already influencing OvaNet’s strategic direction.

OvaNet Community Insights – Key Takeaways

What are the main gaps and challenges in OTC today?

Members identified several shared obstacles limiting progress:

• Lack of standardized procedures across centers
• Difficulty comparing outcomes due to heterogeneous reporting
• Biological challenges (ischemic injury, follicle loss, graft function)
• Safety concerns, especially in oncology
• Limited access, funding, and regulatory barriers
• Insufficient awareness among referring clinicians

These challenges set the context for why collaboration is urgently needed.

What key questions should OvaNet help answer?

Survey responses converge around four core research themes:

• Optimizing protocols: How can we standardize OTC/OTT workflows? Is vitrification or slow freezing superior? How can follicle loss be reduced?
• Ensuring safety & expanding indications: How can OTT be safely performed in high-risk malignancies? When can OTC be expanded beyond oncology?
• Measuring success: Which biomarkers and Core Outcome Sets should be used? How should long-term follow-up be measured?
• Improving access: How can OTC become more accessible and referrals more timely?

These questions define a shared research agenda for OvaNet.

Based on your answers, what should OvaNet prioritize?

Six interconnected priorities emerged:

1. Standardized protocols across the OTC/OTT pathway
2. Clinical safety and risk management (including MRD - Minimal Residual Disease)
3. International data integration and registries
4. Collaborative, multicenter research
5. Education and awareness for clinicians and centers
6. Transparency and patient empowerment

Together, they highlight a strong commitment to standardization, safety, collaboration, and access.

What should OvaNet build, and where do members want to engage?

Working Groups members support most strongly:

• Coordinate Research – 22 members (66.7%)
• International Registry – 21 members (63.6%)
• Post-Transplant Follow-up (OTT) – 19 members (57.6%)
• Standardize Outcomes – 17 members (51.5%)
• Education & Outreach – 14 members (42.4%)

At the same time, members want to personally engage in:

• OTC – 25 members (75.8%)
• Standardized protocols – 23 members (69.7%)
• OTT – 20 members (60.6%)
• Patient care – 14 members (42.4%)

How do members wish to contribute?

Most members wish to contribute in multiple ways:

• Research & multicenter studies – 17 members
• Clinical expertise & protocol development – 15 members
• Working Groups & advisory roles – 14 members
• Data contribution & registries – 12 members
• Standardization & position papers – 10 members
• Education & training – 9 members

What do members want to see on OvaNet?

Members envision OvaNet as an active, collaborative platform, featuring:

• Collaboration & networking – 18 members
• Shared protocols & practical tools – 16 members
• Education & training – 14 members
• Research, registries & data sharing – 13 members
• Interactive clinical discussions – 12 members
• Curated scientific updates – 9 members

Building a Community

This baseline survey shows that OvaNet is emerging not just as a platform or consortium, but as a community, built on collaboration, shared responsibility, and collective expertise. This community-driven identity is what truly sets OvaNet apart from other networks.

Our Current Efforts in Community Building

Finding the Best Tools

To support the diversity of profiles within OvaNet — researchers, clinicians, lab managers, early-career professionals, and experienced leaders — we are currently evaluating communication and collaboration tools that can serve different interests and ways of engaging.

New Collaborations for OvaNet's Platform

To strengthen this process, we are pleased to welcome two collaborators from the Centre for Informatics and Systems of the University of Coimbra (CISUC), Barbara Nascimento and João Miguel Cunha, specialists in design and user experience. Their expertise will help us develop OvaNet as an intuitive, inclusive, and responsive platform. They will also be partners in our COST Action, supporting OvaNet’s broader vision of structured collaboration and sustainable community building.

How you can help shape what comes next

• Complete or update your OvaNet profile, including your interests and other network memberships
• If you haven’t yet answered the survey, please do — broader participation strengthens our collective voice.
• If you are not a member yet, join us and include your voice to shape our actions.

This is just the beginning. OvaNet will grow through the shared commitment of its members learning together, shaping standards together, and advancing the field together.