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One in Six Women Regret Freezing Their Eggs

Findings among 201 women undergoing fertility preservation between 2012 and 2016

TUESDAY, May 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Certain identifiable factors are associated with decision regret following elective oocyte cryopreservation (EOC), according to a study published online May 25 in Fertility and Sterility.

Eleni A. Greenwood, M.D., from the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues identified factors associated with regret following EOC among 201 women undergoing fertility preservation between 2012 and 2016.

The researchers found that 16 percent of women experienced moderate-to-severe decision regret. The number of eggs frozen, perceived adequacy of information prior to EOC, adequacy of emotional support during EOC, and patient-estimated probability of achieving a live birth using their banked eggs were factors associated with decision regret. Reduced odds of regret were associated with increased perceived adequacy of information (adjusted odds ratio, 0.63; P = 0.03) and patient-estimated probability of achieving a live birth (adjusted odds ratio, 0.80; P = 0.01). Following EOC, the majority of women (88 percent) reported increased control over reproductive planning, with most (89 percent) affirming they will be happy they froze eggs, even if they never use them.

“As oocyte cryopreservation takes off, we wanted to take a step back to understand how this technology might impact the trajectory of women’s lives,” Greenwood said in statement. “We see this work as just the start of that conversation. Our ultimate goal is to translate this research into creating an increasingly supportive system to help women, realistically, achieve their reproductive goals.”

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