The findings of the HFEA 2016 report show that 1,173 egg freezing cycles were completed in 2016, compared to only 29 in 2001. Egg freezing prevails north of the border. While the actual numbers are still relatively low, the number of Canadian women choosing to freeze their eggs has increased in recent years. According to a report by BORN Ontario (Ontario Pregnancy, Birth and Child Registry), the number of women who underwent the procedure more than doubled, from 132 in 2013 to 325 in 2016. The UK has established itself as an egg freezing research agency with easily accessible and free information from the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA). The HFEA is an independent regulator of fertility treatment in the UK, involved in research among licensed fertility clinics. They recently published the first national pilot survey of fertility patients in 2018, providing a better understanding of patients` experiences and impacts. Fertility clinics in the UK must comply with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (HFE), which states that clinics wishing to participate in egg freezing must be licensed and undergo inspection by the HFEA. HFE currently limits the storage of oocytes for elective freezing for up to ten years. The British Fertility Society (BFS) is another organisation in the UK that actively promotes research, quality practices and regulation in fertility treatment. In 2013, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine decided that the procedure should no longer be considered “experimental.” Since then, egg freezing for social reasons has become increasingly popular. The Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM), with clinics in Vancouver and Edmonton, reported a 180% increase in the number of women freezing their eggs from 2017 to 2018. The clinic also reported a 150% increase in the last half of 2018 compared to the first half of the year.
Planned egg freezing is not covered by government health schemes in the UK (also known as National Health Services or NHS). Planned egg freezing (commonly known as elective egg freezing or social egg freezing) has grown nearly 15-fold in the U.S. over the past seven years, and the rest of the world is following suit. With millennials more globally and internationally connected than ever before, women considering freezing their eggs are comparing clinics across borders. With the reduction in the cost of air travel and developing countries have invested in their medical infrastructure, medical tourism has increased significantly. According to the American Journal of Medicine, more than 1.4 million Americans sought health care in various countries around the world in 2017. Reproduction procedures are among the five most common procedures in medical tourism. In Israel, twenty egg freezing centres are authorized under Article 4 of the Public Health Regulations. Clinics and centres not covered by Article 4 are not legally authorised to offer elective egg freezing.
As a relatively new area of law, fertility law often raises more questions than it answers. To date, the most important general principle to remember when fertility problems arise is that parties involved in certain types of fertility treatments should have legal advice to ensure that all necessary contracts are entered into to properly manage all aspects of the process. SEE BELOW (September 29, 2016): A growing number of women in Western Canada are freezing their eggs because their personal circumstances are not ideal for parenthood. Laurel Gregory has a woman`s story. Spain has a long history as Europe`s most popular country for assisted reproduction and “target IVF” due to its less restrictive laws. Many European citizens have traveled to Spain for reproductive services, including egg freezing, as the overall cost is lower than in other European countries. Assisted reproduction in Spain is governed by the Law on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Currently, there is no legal age restriction for egg freezing or storage time. Vitrification can also occur in a liquid such as water, usually due to very rapid cooling or the introduction of agents that suppress the formation of ice crystals. This contrasts with ordinary freezing, which leads to the formation of ice crystals. Vitrification is used in cryo-electron microscopy to cool samples so quickly that they can be imaged with an electron microscope without damage.
[16] [17] In 2017, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the development of this technology, which can be used to image objects such as proteins or viral particles. [18] Public health screening is required for all patients who were freezing eggs. The procedure works on the principle that a woman`s fertility decreases over time, not only due to a decrease in the actual number of eggs, but also due to an increase in the proportion of non-viable eggs in her supply. This proportion increases dramatically in her late thirties and early forties, and so egg freezing in her twenties and early thirties provides a woman with a backup supply of healthy eggs that can use them later when she is pregnant – if she cannot conceive naturally – potentially prolonging a woman`s reproductive years. Since 2009, PCRM has been freezing women`s eggs for medical reasons, such as preserving the fertility of women undergoing cancer treatment.