Cryogenic egg-storage techniques have improved dramatically in recent years.But as one woman says, ‘If this is your Plan B, you’ll need a Plan C’
Egg freezing, the process by which eggs are removed and cryogenically stored to prevent age-related decline, has seen a rise in popularity, with a threefold increase since 2014, according to research from the London Women’s Clinic. Meanwhile, recent coverage of “social” egg-freezing advocates, such as Dr Emily Grossman, seems to offer hope to women who want to buy time before meeting the right partner or to delay pregnancy. Ostensibly, egg freezing offers women this breathing space: to preserve their chance of having a baby without compromising on other aspects of their lives.
Except the most recent figures tell a different story. A study by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) of women who froze their eggs in 2014 found that only 14% of implantation cycles were successful. So how effective is the technology? And should women really be trusting egg freezing as a fertility solution, given the limited evidence in its favour? Dr Kylie Baldwin, a medical sociologist with the Centre for Reproduction Research at De Montfort University, is sceptical: “The technology has been presented as a magic bullet to level the playing field between women and men, reproductively speaking. However, the success rates are still low.”
Related: The real reason women freeze their eggs | Eva Wiseman
Continue reading...from Pregnancy | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2Ac1Y6Y
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق