The decision to freeze one's eggs, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, can be influenced by a variety of factors, including personal, social, and medical reasons. While it's challenging to provide real-time statistics or trends data was last updated in September 2021. It can provide some insights into why women may choose to freeze their eggs.
1. Delayed Parenthood: One significant reason for the increased interest in egg freezing is the desire to delay parenthood. Many women pursue higher education, establish their careers, or prioritize other aspects of their lives before starting a family. Egg freezing allows them to preserve their fertility by storing eggs while they are still young and of better quality, increasing the chances of successful conception later in life.
2. Medical Reasons: Certain medical conditions or treatments, such as cancer or reproductive health issues, may jeopardize a woman's fertility. In such cases, egg freezing offers an opportunity to preserve fertility before undergoing treatments like chemotherapy or surgery, which may adversely affect egg quality or quantity.
3. Empowerment and Control: Freezing eggs can provide women with a sense of empowerment and control over their reproductive choices. It offers the freedom to make decisions about family planning without feeling rushed or constrained by biological factors.
4. Single Parenthood or Non-Traditional Families: The increasing acceptance and prevalence of single parenthood or non-traditional family structures contribute to the interest in egg freezing. Women who haven't found a suitable partner or wish to start a family independently may choose to freeze their eggs as a way to extend their fertility window.
5. Technological Advances: Advances in assisted reproductive technologies, such as vitrification (a fast-freezing technique), have improved the success rates of egg freezing and subsequent thawing and fertilization. These advancements have made the procedure more accessible and reliable, prompting more women to consider this option.
It's important to realize that the decision to freeze eggs is highly personal and can vary depending on individual circumstances and societal factors. The prevalence and reasons for egg freezing can change over time as societal norms and awareness evolve, and new data and research emerge.
Using the UK as a model for extrapolating statistics have shown the following:
When it comes to success in getting pregnant using one’s own eggs, the average overall IVF pregnancy rate using fresh embryos increased from 10% per embryo transferred in 1991 to 29% in 2021.
Patients aged 18 to 34 had the highest pregnancy rate per embryo transferred at 41% in 2021.
Meanwhile, pregnancy rates per embryo transferred increased from 8% in 1991 to 33% for patients aged 35 to 37, and was 25% for patients aged 38 to 39 in 2021.
For patients aged 40 to 42, the pregnancy rate per embryo transferred increased from 6% in 1991 to 16% in 2021.
