In a breakthrough achievement in the field of fertility treatment for cancer-prone women, scientists in Canada have announced the birth of first baby created from an egg that had been matured in the laboratory, frozen, thawed and then fertilized.

The birth of this bay girl will open new opportunities for women who become infertile due to certain types of cancer or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in which liquid-filled sacs called cysts accumulate on the ovaries.

The latest development may also reduce the need of women to take a fertility drug that can cause deadly condition - ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). The announcement was made in Lyon, France, by Canadian researchers and scientists have revealed that three more babies are due soon by the same process.

Live Science quotes study team leader Hananel Holzer of the McGill Reproductive Center in Montreal as saying, "It has the potential to become one of the main options for fertility preservation."

Researchers have however warned that the research is still in its nascent stages and it hasn't been proven to work in cancer patients. "We need to inform the patients about the early stage of these treatments without giving any false hopes," Holzer added.