Social Egg Freezing-A Trend or Modern Reality?

Abstract

Introduction: Egg freezing for social reasons is a process in which women who want to preserve their ability to fertilize their own oocytes at an older age freeze their eggs. With the help of in vitro fertilization, the cryopreservation of oocytes for future use is achieved. The aim of this article is to study the reasons, the risks and the effectiveness of the method from a worldwide aspect.

Methods: A literature search was conducted to evaluate pertinent studies, using data from the search engines PubMed, Google and UptoDate as well as the medical literature.

Results: The reasons for delayed procreation are non-medical, with the lack of an appropriate partner for a family being first on the list. The success rate of this method differs with the age of the woman, the number of fertilized eggs and other factors. Like every medical procedure, this method carries risks that relate to the mother (being of advanced age), the embryo and the procedure of in vitro fertilization. The policies that apply in each country differ depending on respective social, economic, religious and cultural factors. Due to the high cost of the method, its selection remains a choice for only a few, reinforcing social inequality. The question of the medicalization of reproduction remains unanswered in the industry of assisted reproduction.

Conclusions: In conclusion, egg freezing for social reasons is gradually becoming more widely known, with the United States of America and Israel being at the top the list. Unfortunately, there is no official data registry, and consequently, no statistical results are yet available for Greece, even though it is a method that more and more women are considering. Nevertheless, there is an imperative need for a universal legal framework for all countries with respect for the needs of every woman and different social conditions. More research and data from the literature are needed in relation to the effectiveness of the method from moral and social perspectives.

Keywords: age-related infertility; delayed childbearing; fertility preservation; oocyte cryopreservation; social egg freezing.