What is the difference between clinical egg freezing and social egg freezing?

There are now numerous treatments available to improve the chances of conceiving a ba for couples who are not able to do it naturally or have planned to delay their pregnancy for various reasons. Among them are treatments that involve fertility drugs, hormonal drugs, or surgeries including in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Another method that can improve the fertility rate in women is ‘egg freezing’. Dr Souren Bhattacharjee, consultant, Birla Fertility and IVF says many women opt for freezing their eggs between the ages of 20 and 30 years to increase their biological cycle for a variety of reasons.
What is clinical egg freezing?
According to the doctor, cryopreservation of eggs — scientifically called oocyte freezing — is a method for preserving fertility, wherein the eggs are frozen after they are retrieved from the ovaries.
“One’s reproductive or pregnancy options are extended freezing eggs. There are a large number of people who undergo egg freezing. This process is opted individuals for a variety of reasons including medical and health circumstances, and prioritising things other than parenthood in life,” says Dr Bhattacharjee, adding that the eggs that are frozen are good for use for up to 10 years after the process.
When is it done?
The doctor says a woman might consider the method of egg freezing in the following cases:
1. If she is detected with cancer and has to undergo treatment. Some cancer treatments, which include chemotherapy or radiotherapy, may affect fertility. Egg freezing procedure done before the treatment helps bear biological children later in life.
2. If the woman is undergoing IVF and her male partner does not produce the appropriate amount of sperm on the day the woman retrieves the eggs, then the best option is egg freezing.
But, what is social egg freezing and how is it different?
Social egg freezing refers to the method of preserving a woman’s fertility or eggs not for medical reasons, but for social considerations like pursuing a career goal, waiting to find the right life partner, or economic and emotional stability before starting a family, explains Dr Bhattacharjee.
“The eggs can be retrieved at a later stage and used to induce pregnancy, offering the woman to have a biological ba of her own at a time of her choice. Since age is an important factor for having a healthy ba, those considering social egg freezing must visit an IVF clinic to have themselves completely evaluated and check if they are eligible to postpone their pregnancy,” says the doctor.
He adds that the process of pre-investigations includes simple blood tests, ultrasound scans, and counselling.
“There are several myths surrounding fertility. There is a misconception that babies born from frozen eggs are unhealthy — this is not true. The process of freezing your eggs does not require a partner or marriage. Women believe the success rates of social egg freezing will be the same at any age. The truth is both the quality and quantity of eggs decline with age; the procedure should be done at an early stage,” the doctor concludes.
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