Social Oocyte Freezing: A Boon for Aging Females

Abstract

Reproductive aging plays a very important role in female fertility. The age-related decline in fertility can be attributed to a decrease in number as well as poor quality of oocytes. The trend to delay childbearing confronts women with difficulty in conception. Oocyte freezing at a younger age provides an option to freeze the eggs before the biological clocks start ticking. It allows women to freeze their eggs at the peak of fertility and create embryos at the later stage when they find a suitable partner or when they are ready to pursue the family. Introduction of new “vitrification” technique has made the success rates for actual conception more reliable than the earlier method of slow freezing. Due to improved results with the vitrification technique, and various studies reporting improved pregnancy rates, oocyte freezing is now no longer considered to be experimental. Oocyte freezing with egg banking has now wider application in fertility services.