Egg freezing experiences of women in Turkey: From the social context to the narratives of reproductive ageing and empowerment

Göçmen, İpek; Kılıç, Azer

doi:10.1177/1350506817742929

Cited by 27 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…This technology has been developed in a world characterized by increased female labor force participation, changing family structures, and economic liberalization (Esping-Andersen, 2015; Streeck, 2009). The increased flexibility of labor markets and the insufficiency of welfare state institutions concerning child and elderly care, among others, contribute to the postponement of motherhood and encourage women's decision to freeze eggs, as we show elsewhere (Göçmen and Kılıç, 2017; see also Cattapan et al, 2014).…”

Section: The Role Of Social Norms and Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 82%

Fate, morals and rational calculations: Freezing eggs for non-medical reasons in Turkey

Kılıç

Göçmen

2018

Social Science & Medicine

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This article aims to explore women's decisions to freeze their eggs for non-medical reasons in Turkey. It draws on semi-structured interviews conducted with twenty-one women who were either in the process of freezing their eggs, or had completed the process within the previous year. Being highly educated and holding prestigious occupations, on the one hand, and faced with traditional gender norms, on the other, these women are confronted with a challenging decision. When making such a decision to freeze their eggs, women act under the constraints defined by biomedical paradigms, the society they live in, and the future uncertainty of their lives. However, it becomes apparent that women are able to reconcile different kinds of rationalities and concerns in their decisions to freeze eggs. They engage in rational calculations to find a solution to their reproductive concerns; they turn to their own belief systems when dealing with future uncertainty; and they negotiate social norms concerning virginity, while trying to conform to traditional reproductive roles.

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Section: The Role Of Social Norms and Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 82%

Fate, morals and rational calculations: Freezing eggs for non-medical reasons in Turkey

Kılıç

Göçmen

2018

Social Science & Medicine

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“…This leads to feelings of frustration and misrecognition. In addition, many studies around the world have found that women’s decision to postpone motherhood is not exclusively a conscious decision but is based on variables beyond their control such as finding a committed partner [ 1 , 50 – 53 ]. This observation could support the hypothesis that these women are unfairly disadvantaged in the allocation of public resources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘I feel that injustice is being done to me’: a qualitative study of women’s viewpoints on the (lack of) reimbursement for social egg freezing

Proost

Coene

Nekkebroeck³

et al. 2022

BMC Med Ethics

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Background During the last decade, the possibility for women to cryopreserve oocytes in anticipation of age-related fertility loss, also referred to as social egg freezing, has become an established practice at fertility clinics around the globe. In Europe, there is extensive variation in the costs for this procedure, with the common denominator that there are almost no funding arrangements or reimbursement policies. This is the first qualitative study that specifically explores viewpoints on the (lack of) reimbursement for women who had considered to uptake at least one social egg freezing cycle in Belgium. Methods To understand the moral considerations of these women, drawing from twenty-one interviews, this paper integrates elements of a symbiotic empirical ethics approach and thematic analysis. Results We identify four themes: (1) being confronted with unclear information; (2) financial costs as ongoing concern; (3) necessity of coverage; (4) extent of reimbursement. In the first theme, we found that some women were concerned about the lack of clear information about the cost of social egg freezing. In the second theme, we report moral sentiments of injustice and discrimination which some women attributed to their struggles and needs not being recognised. The third theme illustrates diverse views on reimbursement, ranging from viewing social egg freezing as an elective treatment not appropriate for reimbursement to preferences for greater public responsibility and wider access. Finally, we describe the participants’ varying proposals for partial reimbursement and the idea that it should not be made available for free. Conclusions This research adds important empirical insights to the bioethics debate on social egg freezing, in particular by presenting (potential) users’ views on the lack of reimbursement. While there is much more to say about the ethical and political complexities of the reimbursement of this procedure, our study highlighted the voices of (potential) users and showed that at least some of them would welcome the coverage of SEF through the public healthcare insurance.

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“…5,[32][33][34][35][36][37]39,43,51,57,58 In 6 studies, the majority of women were characterized as full-time employed or just employed. 17,38,41,42,46,48,50 Eleven studies identified most participants as white. 32,34,35,39,41,42,45,48,[50][51][52][53]57 Most women were described as heterosexual [32][33][34][35]39,40,43,45,[50][51][52]57 and childless 5,44,47,48,50,56 at the time of egg freezing.…”

Section: Characteristics Of Users or Potential Users Of Planned Oocyt...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Women Electing Oocyte Cryopreservation: Characteristics, Information Sources, and Oocyte Disposition: A Systematic Review

Giannopapa

Sakellaridi

Pana

et al. 2022

J Midwife Womens Health

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Introduction:Recently, there is a growing interest in cryopreservation for nonmedical reasons, widely known as planned oocyte cryopreservation. This review aims to summarize and understand the characteristics of women who undergo or consider planned oocyte cryopreservation, identify their initial sources of information, and describe the oocyte disposition. This information should assist health professionals with shared decisionmaking.Methods: A systematic review was performed and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched from inception to January 2021 without any limitation on publication date. Studies were included if they were in English and examined the characteristics of users or potential users of planned oocyte cryopreservation, initial information sources, and the oocyte disposition. Extracted data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The methodological quality of the recruited studies was assessed with the QualSyst criteria.Results: Of 1074 initially retrieved records, 29 met the inclusion criteria, including 12 qualitative and 17 quantitative studies. Response rates of surveys ranged between 38% and 85%. Most of the users or potential users of planned oocyte cryopreservation were single, highly educated, and employed and had a mean age of 37 years. Media and friends were the most common sources of initial knowledge about planned oocyte cryopreservation, and health professionals were a less common source. The majority of planned oocyte cryopreservation users did not attempt pregnancy with their frozen oocytes, yet they did not regret having undergone the procedure. The results regarding the disposition intentions of unused frozen oocytes are inconsistent.Discussion: Most of the users or potential users of planned oocyte cryopreservation have specific demographic characteristics and do not ultimately use their cryopreserved oocytes. Unused oocytes can be discarded or donated to other women or to research. By understanding the main characteristics of potential users of planned oocyte cryopreservation, health professionals can provide proper counseling and support effective decision-making.

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Egg freezing experiences of women in Turkey: From the social context to the narratives of reproductive ageing and empowerment

Cited by 27 publications

References 27 publications

Fate, morals and rational calculations: Freezing eggs for non-medical reasons in Turkey

Fate, morals and rational calculations: Freezing eggs for non-medical reasons in Turkey

‘I feel that injustice is being done to me’: a qualitative study of women’s viewpoints on the (lack of) reimbursement for social egg freezing

Women Electing Oocyte Cryopreservation: Characteristics, Information Sources, and Oocyte Disposition: A Systematic Review

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