Global Mapping and Visualization Analysis of Almost Five Decades of Egg Freezing Research: Trends, Hotspots and Prospects.

Abstract

Background: Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, has become an increasingly significant topic in reproductive medicine. A large number of articles have been published on egg freezing; however, there is still a lack of studies that use visualization methods for bibliometric analysis of relevant literature. This study aimed to explore the publication landscape and identify key trends, influential authors, institutions, and emerging topics in egg freezing research using bibliometric analysis.

Methods: Publications related to egg freezing from 1979 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using Excel 365, VOSviewer (version 1.6.20), CiteSpace (version 6.3.R1), and R 4.3.3 to map co-authorship networks, institutional collaborations, and keyword co-occurrence patterns.

Results: A total of 1072 publications were identified, with an annual growth rate of 9.68%. The research was contributed by 4392 authors and originated from 1380 institutions in 59 countries. The United States leads with 337 publications accounting for 31.4%, followed by Italy and China. The Royal Women's Hospital in Australia was prominent institutional contributors. Oktay Kutluk. ranks first with 18 articles published and a 18 H-index. The leading journals included Fertility and Sterility, Reproductive Biomedicine Online, and Human Reproduction. Keywords analysis identified three clusters, including egg freezing technology, fertility preservation for young women scheduled for chemotherapy, and social recognition on egg freezing. The most recent occurring keywords were "outcome", "infertility", and "knowledge", indicating core areas of research focus in the future.

Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis provides valuable insights into the global trends and research hotspots in egg freezing. The research highlights a growing focus on the technological aspects of egg freezing. Moving forward, researchers should focus on the social aspects of egg freezing, such as public education and awareness regarding egg freezing options.