Control over one’s own fertility
In recent decades, there has been a huge development of assisted reproductive technology, but the chance of having children after IVF treatment is highly dependent on the age of the egg cell.
The development of vitrification offers an opportunity to proactively freeze eggs in younger years and use them at later ages. In this way, egg freezing can bridge the age-related fertility decline, improve the chance of pregnancy and help women reproduce at their own pace. This article, Social freezing of oocytes: a means to take control of your fertility, aims to increase knowledge about proactive egg freezing and offers a way to give women the right advice. It is about national guidelines, the best age and the optimal number of eggs to freeze and the chance of success.
Good results after preventive egg freezing!
Nordic IVF was the first clinic in Scandinavia to offer egg freezing and by 2018 we had performed almost 300 egg freezes in Gothenburg. In a study published in the scientific journal Acta Obstetricia Gynecologica et Scandinavica, we describe the pregnancy results of the first women who returned to use their frozen eggs.
By the end of October 2018, 254 women had frozen eggs to preserve their anti-aging fertility. Thirty-eight (15%) of them had returned by the time to use their eggs and this has resulted in ten children or ongoing pregnancies. The chance of having children was strikingly associated with the woman’s age when the eggs were frozen. The overall chance of having children was 63% if the woman was 36-37 years old at the time of freezing and 26% if she was 38-39 years old. Unfortunately, no one who was 40 years or older at the time of freezing had children.
The study is small, but one of the few that presents the result after preventive egg freezing. In summary, the chance of having children in case of egg freezing is good provided that the procedure is done until 36-37 years of age, but cannot be recommended after the age of 40 when the chance of success is small. Here is a summary to read.
Swedish women positive to new treatment options with assisted reproduction – Nordic IVF Göteborg in study together with Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg
In the study, we have investigated how the general public views new treatment options with assisted reproduction. The majority of participants in the study had a positive attitude towards egg freezing for whatever reason, fertility treatment for single people and uterus donation, while slightly fewer were positive about surrogacy.
The study is published in the scientific journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. Here you can read a summary.