Early detection and aggressive chemotherapy/radiotherapy treatments have improved the long-term survival rates for many young women with various types of cancer. As a consequence of these cytotoxic treatments, their reproductive future can be either short lived or eradicated. For young single women with cancer, oocyte cryopreservation offers the best potential option for achieving a future pregnancy using their own gametes. Unfortunately, the urgent need to commence cytotoxic treatment often does not permit adequate time for cryopreservation of mature oocytes. Conversely, cryopreservation of ovarian tissue eliminates the delay necessary to obtain mature oocytes, but the subsequent potential for establishing pregnancy is currently unknown. Although ovarian tissue cryopreservation is an attractive alternative and frequently used for patients with these conditions, little has been published on the efficacy of various protocols. Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue is more complex than that of gametes or embryos, requiring preservation of multiple cell types, which may vary in volume and water permeability. Essentially, ovarian tissue cryopreservation is more similar to organ cryopreservation than to that of gametes or embryos.