Social Egg Freezing-A Trend or Modern Reality?

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Social Science

Background:

• Social egg freezing involves cryopreserving oocytes for future in vitro fertilization (IVF) to enable women to delay childbearing.
• Reasons for delayed procreation are primarily non-medical, often due to the absence of a suitable partner.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the global reasons, risks, and effectiveness of social egg freezing.
• To analyze the varying international policies and ethical considerations surrounding this reproductive technology.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed using major databases like PubMed, Google, and UptoDate.
• Pertinent studies were evaluated to gather worldwide data on social egg freezing.

Main Results:

• Success rates are influenced by maternal age and the number of oocytes cryopreserved.
• Risks are associated with advanced maternal age, the IVF procedure, and the embryo.
• Country-specific policies vary due to social, economic, religious, and cultural factors, with high costs limiting access and potentially exacerbating social inequalities.

Conclusions:

• Social egg freezing is gaining global recognition, particularly in the USA and Israel.
• A lack of official data registries hinders statistical analysis, especially in regions like Greece.
• There is a critical need for a universal legal framework and further research into the moral and social implications of social egg freezing.