Freezing eggs is not a crime; but the decision must be well considered and informed – and must look to the calendar.
The growing phenomenon has an English term: social egg freezing. It’s the egg freezinga cryopreservation of oocytes. And for social reasons.
These are women who decide to postpone motherhood, opting for cryopreservation. Either because the job is not secure, or because you prioritize your profession, or because you don’t have a partner, or because you want more time to decide.
But Gunes Karakus, gynecologist and specialist in reproductive medicine, warns that this decision, to be truly conscious, must be well informed, you must have reliable, rigorous information.
“Oocyte freezing is a very useful clinical tool, but it must be framed realistically. The age at which the decision is made remains a determining factor for the results”, explains the IVI Lisbon specialist.
The women in Portugal who make this decision have, for the most part, between 35 and 39 years old – and this is the period when female fertility is declining most sharply. In other words, the time factor already assumes a relevant clinical weight. It’s a “biological urgency”.
In a statement sent to ZAP, Gunes Karakus highlights 5 essential facts surrounding egg freezing.
The peak of fertility
It occurs earlier than most people think: between 20 and 25 years of age. At this stage, not only is the ovarian reserve higher, but the rate of aneuploidies (chromosomal changes in oocytes) is significantly lower. It is not possible to completely neutralize this factor; age is indeed a central point.
35 years
It’s a turning point. There is a relevant clinical inflection after the age of 35, a more pronounced reduction in fertility. And this has an impact on the quantity and quality of oocytes. In other words, lower fertilization rate, greater risk of miscarriage and increased probability of embryonic genetic changes.
Glazing, factors
It is true that it preserves the biological age of the oocyte, but the results depend on several factors: number of oocytes stored, age at the time of vitrification and individual response to subsequent treatments.
ovarian reserve
It is influenced by individual and environmental factors: genetic factors, gynecological pathologies (such as endometriosis), previous surgeries and exposure to endocrine disruptors present in the environment.
Postponement and probabilities
Postponing motherhood increases the likelihood of resorting to medically assisted procreation. The older the woman, the more likely she is to need fertility treatments.
