Egg freezing on the rise

A GROWING number of younger women are turning to elective egg freezing to preserve their fertility, a top doctor in the field has revealed.

The finding comes as the Fertility Society of Australia annual scientific meeting continues at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Hobart today.

More than 500 scientists, doctors, researchers, nurses, consumers and counsellors in reproductive medicine from across Australia and New Zealand have travelled to the state to discuss and share their ideas around this year’s theme — the devil is in the detail.

Medical egg freezing is an option for women hoping to preserve their reproductive capacity when their fertility is threatened by illnesses such as endometriosis or invasive cancer treatments. However, Tas IVF and Melbourne IVF fertility specialist Manuela Toledo yesterday said increasing numbers of healthy Australian women were following the global trend to electively freeze their eggs for fertility preservation, providing the option for thawing and IVF treatment in future to have children.

Dr Toledo said many women who have made the decision described feeling less personal pressure to “size up” possible partners and fathers.

“Many women who choose elective egg freezing do so after a significant change in their life, for example, the break-up of a long-term relationship, concern about their partner’s commitment to parenting, or career issues,” she said.

“I often hear them say that it is empowering because they have made a decision for themselves, independent of others, and for their future fertility … This sense of empowerment also comes from the opportunity to discuss their options with fertility specialists.”

In most cases, a Medicare rebate is only available for egg freezing for medical reasons, which means women who freeze their eggs for personal reasons have considerable outof-pocket expenses. Dr Toledo said the process currently costs between $7000 and $8000 on average.

She said while many women choosing elective egg freezing were in their late 30s and early 40s, and did so as a “last chance” to achieve their dream of having a baby, there was a growing trend for younger women to take this step.

“Realistically, there is no guarantee of success in terms of a pregnancy from egg freezing for women of any age,” Dr Toledo said.

“Women beyond the ideal reproductive age of 35 have a significantly less chance of achieving a pregnancy through IVF using their cryopreserved eggs. But for women in their 20s or early 30s who are healthy and nonsmokers, there is a very good chance of achieving a pregnancy from one of every 10 eggs that have been frozen and thawed for fertilisation.”