The Center for Fertility Research and Education (CFRE) was founded by Extend Fertility team members to close the fertility knowledge gap through sound scientific investigation.

Interest in elective oocyte cryopreservation (egg freezing) is growing—but limited information exists as to why women consider egg freezing, and what may prevent them from going through with it, despite their interest.

In a new study, “Motivations and Perceived Barriers to Care in Women Seeking Information Regarding Elective Oocyte Cryopreservation (EOC),” the research team at CFRE/Extend Fertility surveyed 174 women who attended our monthly Egg Freezing 101 info sessions about why they wanted to learn more about egg freezing. The conclusion: most women didn’t set out to delay childbearing, but are motivated by their age or lack of a partner to look into egg freezing. (This adds support to the conclusion of many other studies into why women freeze their eggs.)

The number one thing holding women back from freezing their eggs? The cost of the procedure. Nearly a quarter of women surveyed indicated “high cost” as a barrier to accessing egg freezing. This result suggests the need for additional studies on how cost-conscious egg freezing models might increase access to care.

This research was recently presented at the ASRM Scientific Congress & Expo 2018. See the poster and more information about the research.