Abstract

This chapter will be an ethical analysis on challenging situations surrounding oocyte cryopreservation treatment in young healthy women. There has been always a complicated interaction between technology and changing societal values. This ethical discussion is not on whether or not oocyte cryopreservation in itself is ethically justifiable. Through a comprehensive literature review, this chapter discusses some ethical aspects that have emerged since oocyte cryopreservation was applied for the first time. Through a practical approach, this chapter address ethical uncertainties presenting case studies, ethical questions and terms, existing arguments in favor and against oocyte cryopreservation; and examine the individual patient’s beliefs, perception and opinions.

Highlights

  • Fertility preservation is a recent technology that provides the possibility to maintain reproductive ability to women who either face the risk of infertility for medical treatments or want to postpone childbearing for possible age-related fertility

  • Women affected by X trisomy, X-fragile, premature ovarian failure (POF) based on genetic origin as in Turner syndrome mosaicism, and syndrome, are another group that fertility preservation could help them [4]

  • This procedure is called with various names such as elective egg freezing; social egg freezing, and planned oocyte cryopreservation known as OC

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Summary

Introduction

Fertility preservation is a recent technology that provides the possibility to maintain reproductive ability to women who either face the risk of infertility for medical treatments or want to postpone childbearing for possible age-related fertility. The last group of women who can benefit from fertility preservation are those who wish to preserve and store oocytes for nonmedical purposes This procedure is called with various names such as elective egg freezing; social egg freezing, and planned oocyte cryopreservation known as OC. This chapter addresses the ethical issues that arise when OC is used by women whose goal is to protect their ability to have children in the future apart from an immediate threat from gonadotoxic therapy. This ethical discussion is not on whether or not oocyte cryopreservation in itself is ethically justifiable. Through a comprehensive literature review, this chapter argues some ethical uncertainties, ethical questions and terms, existing arguments in favor and against oocyte cryopreservation; and examine the individual patient’s beliefs, perception and opinions

Ethical uncertainties
Arguments supporting oocyte cryopreservation by healthy women
Arguments opposing oocyte cryopreservation by healthy women
Findings
Discussion and conclusion

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