The current legislation of the UK government on the frozen eggs only allows it for ten years. But an ethics group on the country urges the government to extend it since experts confirmed that there is no scientific reason behind this limit.
According to them, the destruction of frozen eggs after the limit dashes the hopes of many women in becoming mothers. Besides, consumers need more data on costs and success rates to informed choices.
Egg Freezing for Fertility Preservation at RMA of New York (Former Slow-Freezing Method) Screenshot from YouTube
Reasons for Egg Freezing Might Be Exploited for Marketing
A report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics suggests that it is important that marketing strategies will not exploit the anxieties of women who feel pressure to freeze their eggs. Marketing strategies have used computer algorithms that specifically target women online with advertisements on freezing their eggs.
Egg freezing is sometimes paid by companies as an employment benefit is also a cause of concern to Nuffield. Although this company benefit may look like "gender equalizer" in the workplace with positive effects on women's salaries, the ethics group thinks that women might be pushed to delay motherhood to show their commitment to their jobs.
The NHS does not fund egg freezing for social reasons but rather for medical reasons only. For instance, a woman may be allowed to freeze their eggs in advance of cancer treatment could apply for 55 years.
According to Dr. John Appleby, lecturer in medical ethics at Lancaster University, the 10-year limit for egg freezing in the UK for social reasons is not fit for the purpose, and it shows how there is very little reason for maintaining it any longer.
But with more and more women who choose to freeze their eggs, Sarah Norcross of the Progress Educational Trust believes it is a tie for the law to be changed.
Frances Flinter, Nuffield Council member, said that women should have easy access to data on their chances of success so women can make informed choices. Also, clinics should be frank about the process and what is known and unknown of the process.
What is Egg Freezing?
Around a fifth of the IVF treatments that used the patient's frozen eggs have successfully resulted in the birth of a baby in 2017, according to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority.
Egg freezing is a method used to save women's ability to get pregnant in the future. Doctors would harvest the egg cells from the ovaries, then freeze them and store them for later use. Frozen eggs can later be thawed then combined with a sperm in a lab and implant it in the uterus via in vitro fertilization.
However, not all frozen eggs survive the thawing. The success rate for having a live birth depends on the age of the woman when the eggs were extracted, with the highest chance of success for those below 35 years old.
The average cost of egg freezing for social reasons is estimated at $4,295, with an additional fee for medication at $640 to $1280. But the storage cost per year tends to be at $160-$450.
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