Egg freezing has become one of the fastest growing fertility related industries in the UK.
The number of women in the UK who chose to freeze their eggs rose from less than 300 in 2010 to 1,300 in 2016, an increase of 460%.
However, The Guardian states that “there were fewer than 200 thaw cycles every year up to 2015, meaning thousands of women have frozen eggs but haven’t used them yet.” It is also clear that despite this significant increase, egg freezing cycles still account for a paltry 1.5% of fertility treatments performed in the UK.
The Daily Telegraph reported in 2018 that there was a persistent “myth” that women artificially preserve their fertility so they could “buy Gucci bags and get paid big money working in banks.”
Recent studies have shown that relationship problems are a much bigger factor than egg freezing, such as the “lack of a male partner willing to assume parenthood,” the newspaper said.
But as an expensive and sometimes risky undertaking, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) warned last year that women “need to be educated about the relatively low success rates, high costs and side effects associated with egg freezing and in vitro fertilization treatment.” «.
Calling for greater awareness of what this entails, Adam Balen, RCOG spokesman, said: “If a woman decides to freeze her eggs for social reasons, she should consult a reproductive specialist and choose a clinic that has a lot of experience.”
“The clinic should give a realistic idea of the potential success related to your age. Evidence suggests that the best time to freeze eggs is between the ages of 20 and 37 for a woman,” added Balen, professor of reproductive medicine.
Consultant NHS embryologist Dr Virginia Bolton (below) said the process is not a ‘magic bullet’ that will solve women’s problems.
Not the “panacea” that will solve women’s problems. Consultant NHS embryologist Dr Virginia Bolton as doctors warn women who wish to freeze their eggs for social reasons.#VittoriaVIVA pic.twitter.com/pvkjXvwnMr
—Victoria Derbyshire (@VictoriaLIVE) August 8, 2018
The warning comes as “the latest figures from the Human Fertilization and Embryo Authority (HFEA) show that in 2016, 32% of all patients who froze their eggs were under the age of 35, while 62% were under the age of 38”. Overall, 27% of the patients who thawed their eggs for use were older than 44 years.
What exactly is egg freezing?
Egg freezing is a method of preserving a woman’s fertility so that she can have children in the future. It involves collecting a woman’s eggs, freezing them, and then thawing them for use in fertility treatment.
According to the HFEA website: “Most women will collect around 15 eggs, although this is not always possible for women with low ovarian reserves (low number of eggs). When you want to use them, the eggs will be thawed and those that survived intact will be injected with your partner’s or donor’s semen.
In the UK, the current time limit for keeping eggs frozen for social reasons is ten years.
Construction?
The live birth rate per embryo transferred for women who have frozen their eggs is 19%, says HFEA.
“Egg freezing success rates have improved significantly in recent years, so offer women the opportunity to freeze their eggs for social reasons if they are not yet ready to have children,” Balen said. “However, it must be emphasized that egg freezing does not guarantee a future baby.”
In a study just published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Timothy Bracewell-Milnes, MD, from Imperial College London, and co-authors from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital warn that most women who take steps to preserve their fertility do so. they are getting too late
According to the BBC, the study found that many young men are unaware of the natural limits of female fertility and “significantly overestimate” the success rates of freezing eggs to become pregnant later.
“Egg freezing indirectly encourages women to have children at a later maternal age, which carries a significantly higher risk of medical complications in pregnancy,” the researchers said.
How much?
Egg freezing is generally only available on the NHS if you are undergoing medical treatment that could affect your fertility, such as cancer treatment.
Most private clinics charge £3,000 to £4,000 for a round of the procedure, but “you’ll want to make sure there aren’t any unexpected costs that weren’t included in the original quote,” says NetDoctor.
Testing, monitoring, medication, and egg retrieval, as well as egg storage, thawing, fertilization, and embryo transfer “should all be included in the price,” the health site adds.
