The importance of social oocyte cryopreservation in supporting local municipalities: A prospective study

With the trend toward late marriages and late childbearing, cryopreservation of oocytes for fertility preservation is attracting attention as a method to counteract the declining birthrate.

To examine the impact of social oocyte cryopreservation on local communities by assessing the significance of government assistance for cryofreezing and capturing the participants' subsequent feelings regarding this assistance.

Descriptive study.

A prospective study was conducted on city-dwelling women <35 years old attending monthly seminars on oocyte retrieval/cryopreservation to whom the study concept was explained. Egg collection and storage management costs were free for 3 years after the project completed, and subsequent actual storage costs were borne by the individuals. After oocyte retrieval, we conducted a questionnaire on oocyte cryopreservation and administrative assistance.

Of the 62 seminar participants, 2 became pregnant naturally without oocyte retrieval. Oocytes were retrieved in 34 women (average age: 32.8 years, number of oocytes obtained: 8.3), among whom 4 subsequently became pregnant and gave birth through natural pregnancy or artificial insemination, and 1 became pregnant and gave birth using frozen oocytes. In a follow-up questionnaire given to these 34 subjects, all responded that they were glad to have oocyte cryopreservation, but 23 subjects (67.6%) answered that they could not perform cryopreservation without financial assistance. Twenty-five participants (73.5%) wanted to try to conceive without using frozen oocytes as a post-cryopreservation plan.

As a countermeasure against the declining birthrate, oocyte cryopreservation and associated workshops that can provide the information and education needed to conduct this task in a "planned" manner may be useful in providing women with additional reproductive options. Financial assistance will also be required to offer this service to the women who need it.