KOCHI: With women increasingly seeking better careers and financial freedom, the number of young women deciding to freeze their eggs (oocytes) has risen significantly in Kerala.
“There was a time when only a woman or two approached us for egg freezing in a year. Now, at least five women approach us every month,” says Dr Parasuram Gopinath, senior consultant at Cimar Hospital in Kochi. He says the awareness about the facility is also a reason for the shift. The increasing demand has led to the emergence of a terminology – social egg freezing, a procedure that allows women to freeze their eggs and preserve their fertility for non-medical reasons.
Social media and the internet have helped in popularising egg freezing. “Now, celebrities are also open about it. That can influence women who wish to prioritise careers and prefer marriage and children later. This procedure gives today’s women something we call reproductive independence or reproductive freedom,” Dr Parasuram says.
“The facility is not against our culture and morals. It helps women preserve their fertility while they pursue their careers. We have seen even mothers motivating their girl children to use the facility,” Dr Parasuram adds. Women who choose to marry in their late 30s or 40s see it as a safe option, points out Dr Vivek Kumar, an infertility treatment specialist at Kinder Hospital.
“This has led to an entity called social egg freezing. They freeze their eggs when they are in their 20s and 30s. Probably, they will opt for marriage in their late 30s and 40s,” he says.
Globally, there is a trend in favour of the procedure, points out Dr Vivek. “MNCs like Apple and Google are providing insurance cover for the procedure because it will not affect their productivity, and they may not have to take a break,” he says.
Yet, experts believe the facility is not for every woman. It was earlier used by women who were undergoing oncology treatment. Egg freezing is a boon to young oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy but it cannot be applied to all, says Dr Reji Mohan, associate professor with the department of reproductive medicine at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.
“Oocyte cryopreservation requires the same steps as hormone therapy to produce more eggs, and oocytes are retrieved transvaginally. The success of getting a successful pregnancy with a cryopreservation egg is around 35% in good centres,” he says.
Also, the cost of social egg freezing is at par or more than an IVF cycle and one may have to pay a yearly cryopreservation charge to the centre too, he says. “Suppose the women later get pregnant naturally, what will happen to these frozen eggs in the light of the new ART law (Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act)? As of now, social egg freezing is not for all but for select cases of oncofertility treatment, those with low ovarian reserve, etc. It requires counselling as well,” Dr Reji says.
Dr Raju Nair, secretary of the Indian Fertility Society, Kerala Chapter, says several people tend to believe egg freezing is the best option. “I would suggest not to take it as the first step. It should only be an option,” he says.