Reproductive technology and the life course: Current debates and research in social egg freezing

Abstract While there are currently few confirmed births from previously frozen eggs in the UK, the improved outcomes of new technologies of vitrification and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) have led to the marketing of egg freezing for non-medical reasons, whereby women are offered the poss...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHuman fertility (Cambridge, England) Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 170 - 179
Main Authors Baldwin, Kylie, Culley, Lorraine, Hudson, Nicky, Mitchell, Helene
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Informa Healthcare 01.09.2014
Taylor & Francis
Subjects
egg freezing
Female
fertility
Fertility preservation
Fertility Preservation - ethics
Freezing
gamete storage/cryopreservation
Humans
Maternal Age
Ovum
Pregnancy
Social Behavior
social egg freezing
gamete storage/cryopreservation
Fertility preservation
egg freezing
social egg freezing
fertility
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Summary:Abstract While there are currently few confirmed births from previously frozen eggs in the UK, the improved outcomes of new technologies of vitrification and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) have led to the marketing of egg freezing for non-medical reasons, whereby women are offered the possibility of preserving their eggs until such time as they wish to have a child. Non-academic commentary on this phenomenon has commonly constructed it within a neo-liberal discourse of 'choice', whereby women are positioned as choosing to 'delay motherhood,' often for reasons relating to their careers. However, there have been relatively few research studies which explore either women's awareness and understandings of social egg freezing or the reasons why women consider or undertake egg freezing. This paper summarises the current academic discussion surrounding social egg freezing and outlines the limited body of empirical literature identified from a systematic search of relevant databases. The potential benefits and harms of social egg freezing and the ethical issues it raises are well rehearsed in existing literature, but there is limited empirical evidence about who is accessing social egg freezing, why they are taking this option and what their experiences and future intentions are.
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ISSN:1464-7273
1742-8149
DOI:10.3109/14647273.2014.939723