Oocyte cryopreservation in Canada: a survey of Canadian ART clinics

To determine the status of oocyte cryopreservation in Canadian assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics.

An online survey was sent to the medical directors of all Canadian ART clinics between December 2010 and February 2011. The survey included questions about the availability of, the indications for, and the elements of consent for oocyte cryopreservation. Clinics were also asked whether they offered social egg freezing.

Twenty of the 28 Canadian ART clinics (71.4%) participated in this survey, and 16 (80%) of those clinics offered oocyte cryopreservation. Forty-five percent of the clinics offered elective oocyte cryopreservation (social egg freezing) for healthy women seeking to prolong fertility. Although most clinics counselled patients that oocyte cryopreservation is experimental, most clinics (87.5%) did not perform the procedure under a protocol approved by a research ethics board. The majority of clinics included most of the essential elements of informed consent during their counselling process. Most clinics that offered social egg freezing performed the procedure for women up to the age of 42, although some clinics did not offer the procedure for women under the age of 35 (28.6%) or over the age of 38 (42.9%).

More than one half of Canadian ART clinics are offering oocyte cryopreservation, although not all clinics offer social egg freezing for healthy women to prolong fertility. Most clinics described the technique as experimental, and the majority included most of the elements of informed consent in their counselling process.