Elective egg freezing without medical indications

Abstract

The aim of this review is to provide current knowledge on fertility preservation for non-medical reasons in women willing to postpone childbearing. The topic is highly debatable, starting from disagreement about its terminology, the number of eggs necessary to predict chances of success, and the safety and socio/ethical point of view. Cost analysis and discrepancies among countries' recommendations and regulations are described to confirm the controversies and unsolved issues around this very interesting topic. Finally, an overview on the returning rate of women among "egg bankers" and reasons behind their decisions are illustrated.

Keywords: egg banking and age banking; elective egg freezing; fertility decline; fertility preservation; non-medical reasons; oocyte cryopreservation; social egg freezing.