Having it all? Where are we with “social” egg freezing today?

Lockwood, Gillian; Johnson, Martin H.

doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2015.06.005

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Our data were collected just a few months after Apple and Facebook publicly agreed to cover the expenses of oocyte freezing for their female employees in the USA as well as during the midst of a debate in the medical and lay field about the use of the technology to delay childbirth for career reasons and the role of the society regarding this topic [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]. In contrast to a study from Singapore where 70 % of female medical students would consider this an option for family planning, only about half of our study participants knew about the principle of oocyte freezing, and 12 % would consider this technology as an option for themselves [20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of infertility, fertility assessment, and assisted reproductive technologies in the era of oocyte freezing among female and male university students

Meissner

Schippert

Versen‐Höynck

2016

J Assist Reprod Genet

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Purpose The aims of our study were to analyze university student's knowledge and attitude towards parenthood, female fertility, fertility assessment, and oocyte freezing and to explore associations between these aspects and the participant's sex or degree program they were registered for. Methods The study was designed as an online-based crosssectional survey. A total of 1144 participants answered 27 questions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Linear regression models were employed to explore associations between sex or university program and attitude towards parenthood, fertility assessment, and oocyte freezing. Results Female students and students of non-medical degree programs were more likely to plan to have children earlier than male students or students of medical degree programs. Female sex or medical degree program was associated with an overall better knowledge about women's fertility. The better the participant's knowledge about fertility, the more likely the students would consider assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments as an option to become pregnant when ovarian reserve is low. The majority of students knew the principal of oocyte freezing but would not consider using it. However, in the case of a low ovarian reserve, oocyte freezing would be accepted as an option. Conclusions Students planned to have children at an age when women's fertility is already declining. Gaps in knowledge about female fertility and the potential of ART were more pronounced in male students and students of non-medical degree programs suggesting an increase of fertility awareness is necessary in these groups to prevent them from infertility and unwanted childlessness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of infertility, fertility assessment, and assisted reproductive technologies in the era of oocyte freezing among female and male university students

Meissner

Schippert

Versen‐Höynck

2016

J Assist Reprod Genet

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“…The present study aimed to survey both men and women in the general public to decipher attitudes toward elective OC and personal use of the technology in the future. With American corporations such as Apple and Facebook recently announcing funding of elective OC for female employees, we aimed to find if the public supports OC as a reproductive right (20,21).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Public support in the United States for elective oocyte cryopreservation

Lewis

Missmer

Farland

et al. 2016

Fertility and Sterility

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“…However, public awareness should also be accurately positioned regarding the age limitations of egg freezing, assuring that the procedure is employed by those women who are most likely to benefit from it, that is to say women whose oocytes have not biologically substantially aged [ 68 , 69 , 70 ]. At the present level of efficacy of oocyte freezing, it is essential for women over 35 years of age to be made aware that their deposited eggs are not an insurance policy against age-related infertility [ 12 ]. It is essential to communicate that oocyte cryopreservation may serve as an informed subjective decision to possibly postpone motherhood for several more years.…”

Section: Concerns Of Both Medical and Social Naturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is primarily the age of the woman at the time of oocyte retrieval, and hence the oocyte age that influences the pregnancy outcome [ 11 ] and secondarily the age at the actual time of use of the oocytes. The increased emergence of programs and services that address age-related subfertility demonstrate remarkably rising pregnancy success rates with the use of frozen oocytes [ 12 ]. The aforementioned success rates have encouraged women to consider social freezing as an option in an effort to avoid the possibility of remaining childless.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postponing Pregnancy Through Oocyte Cryopreservation for Social Reasons: Considerations Regarding Clinical Practice and the Socio-Psychological and Bioethical Issues Involved

Simopoulou

Sfakianoudis²,

Bakas

et al. 2018

Medicina

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Oocyte freezing for ‘social reasons’ refers to women of reproductive age who are aiming to prolong, protect and secure their fertility. The term emerged to describe application of the highly promising technique, namely vitrification on oocytes retrieved through controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) from women intending to preserve their fertility for social reasons. These women opt to cryopreserve their oocytes at a point in their life when they need to postpone childbearing on the grounds of so called ‘social’ reasons. These reasons may include a highly driven career, absence of an adequate partner, financial instability, or personal reasons that make them feel unprepared for motherhood. This is a sensitive and multifaceted issue that entails medical, bioethical and socio-psychological components. The latest trend and the apparent increase noted on oocyte freezing for ‘social reasons’ has prompted our team of fertility specialists, embryologists, obstetricians, gynecologists and psychologists to proceed with a thorough, critical and all-inclusive comprehensive analysis. The wide range of findings of this analysis involve concerns of embryology and epigenetics that shape decisions made in the IVF laboratory, issues regarding obstetric and perinatal concerns on the pregnancy concluding from these oocytes and the respective delivery management and neonatal data, to the social and bioethical impact of this trend’s application. This literature review refers to matters rising from the moment the ‘idea’ of this option is ‘birthed’ in a woman’s thoughts, to proceeding and executing it clinically, up until the point of the pediatric follow up of the children born. We aim to shed light to the controversial issue of oocyte freezing, while objectively exhibit all aspects regarding this complex matter, as well as to respectfully approach how could the prospect of our future expectations be shaped from the impact of its application.

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Having it all? Where are we with “social” egg freezing today?

Cited by 12 publications

References 8 publications

Awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of infertility, fertility assessment, and assisted reproductive technologies in the era of oocyte freezing among female and male university students

Awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of infertility, fertility assessment, and assisted reproductive technologies in the era of oocyte freezing among female and male university students

Public support in the United States for elective oocyte cryopreservation

Postponing Pregnancy Through Oocyte Cryopreservation for Social Reasons: Considerations Regarding Clinical Practice and the Socio-Psychological and Bioethical Issues Involved

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