O-169 Advances in oocyte freezing: implications for donors, recipients, counsellors and clinics

Abstract

Abstract Much of the attention given to the introduction of oocyte vitrification has focused on the implications for autologous freezing – i.e. freezing by those who wish to store their own eggs for later use. Such debates have considered, for example, the individual motivations of freezers and the ethics and practicalities of state and employer funding. Much less attention has been given to the impact of egg vitrification on the landscape of egg donation. Whilst use of frozen eggs for donation varies by country and clinic, data show that in general the practice is growing; with Spain an early and enthusiastic adopter within Europe. The advent of egg vitrification has led to or accelerated a number of changes in the landscape of donation. More efficient and reliable freezing allows clinics to ‘batch’ eggs and store them for potential use by multiple recipients thereby increasing clinic revenue. Vitrification can also facilitate the creation of a store of eggs and associated donor profiles; providing more choice for recipients at the time of treatment and giving rise to the emergence of commercial egg banks within Europe. There have also been changes to the regulatory landscape catalyzed by the introduction of oocyte vitrification; for example, a recent extension to legal storage periods in the UK in response to the newly established technical potential. In a broader sense, the possibility to vitrify and store eggs has developed at a time when fertility treatment in general is rapidly transforming and commercializing; with the introduction of a range of novel and highly commercialized practices in the same period: e.g. methods of gamete/donor selection which use AI and expanded carrier screening for donors. The management and use of frozen eggs has therefore developed along a different sociotechnical trajectory to that of frozen sperm; acquiring differing meanings, practices and moral, cultural and economic value in the process. In this talk, I draw on data from a recent, large-scale study of egg donation in Europe to consider how oocyte vitrification maybe reshaping the landscape of egg donation. I consider how changing practices associated with vitrification (egg batching and banking, for example) may be reconfiguring how egg donation is constructed and perceived by those involved, as well as how it is regulated. Specifically, I consider the implications that an increase in use of frozen eggs raises for donors, recipients, clinics and their staff, including counsellors.