If you want to have children freeze your eggs at Social Freezing

Many women freeze their eggs for later pregnancy
More and more women in Germany use the so-called "social freezing". They freeze their eggs and then - mostly years later - have children born. However, experts point out that this method often does not fulfill the wish of the baby.

Method had been developed for cancer patients
Many women who want to have children often postpone their plans to later years, for example, to have enough time for their careers. The so-called "social freezing" is becoming more and more popular. With the help of this method you can create the desire to have children in ice. In the procedure, ova are removed from the woman and frozen. Even years later, they can be thawed again, fertilized in the laboratory and used by women. This method was originally developed for cancer patients. The patients have the opportunity to be removed before chemotherapy oocytes, so that they are protected from the destructive chemicals. Meanwhile, more and more healthy women use the procedure and postpone their family planning to a later date.

Option for later: freeze egg cells. Picture: kasto - fotolia

Employees finance the freezing of eggs
When the two US companies Apple and Facebook announced a few months ago that they want to finance their employees, the "social freezing", the indignation in countries like Germany was great. The media response has apparently also ensured that more women have become aware of the process. The number of interested persons increased. As the "world" reports online, Sebastian Ellinghaus of "profertilitaet.de" estimates that in Germany around 1,000 women ask for "social freezing" every year. "But not every woman who asks questions makes the procedure actually happen." Although there are no reliable figures so far, reproductive doctors assume that around 500 women annually freeze their eggs.

Social freezing is not a "baby insurance"
These numbers could continue to rise, among other things, as providers promote the method heavily. For example, VivaNeo, a consortium of fertility centers, and the egg bank Seracell in Berlin recently held a panel discussion titled "Social Freezing & Social Impact". "We want to give the women a bit of freedom," said Seracell founder Mathias friend. However, reproduction physicians point out that the method is not a kind of "baby insurance" and one should not rely too much on it. "It is at most a chance-enhancing measure," explained Sören von Otte, reproductive physician at the Fertility Center of the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel.

Oocytes freeze at a young age
The most important factor for the chances of success is when oocytes are taken: "It is best to freeze oocytes before 30," says Ute Czeromin, reproductive physician and CEO of the German IVF Registry. However, Heribert Kentenich, head of the Berlin Fertility Center, said that only very few women would come up with this idea at such a young age: "Three quarters of the women are academics between the ages of 35 and 39." At this age, however, the cells are removed more difficult than at mid-twenties, and for women over 40 the outlook is even grimmer. "It has to be said that the chances are very bad," said Ute Czeromin.

"Let the contraception go away"
In the US, the method has become a widespread trend. There, some young women even organize "egg-freezing parties". In this country, most experts are skeptical. As Ute Czeromin said: "In my view, the social conditions for deciding on family education must change at a young age." She considers it questionable to solve the conflict between child and career with "social freezing". "Women and men who want a life with a child, I would advise: Let the contraception away." If it is still nothing with the baby wish, childless can often help a genetic counseling. And only recently had Dr. Michael Teut, Senior Physician and Head of the Charité Outpatient Clinic for Prevention and Integrative Medicine in Berlin, explained in an interview that the desire for offspring could be promoted thanks to natural healing.

Good business for providers
According to Czeromin, if there is no medical need, such as cancer treatment, "social freezing" requires physicians to ask, "Can I answer for this with my medical ethic?" She said that this preservation of egg cells was a fruitful year of family education postpone a higher age, have nothing to do with the treatment of a disease. The providers can earn a lot of money with this method. Seracell and VivaNeo are currently invoking € 2,500 for collection and conservation. In addition, there are additional costs for medication and the stimulation of egg maturation. From the health insurance companies, the procedure of the "world" is not paid. (Ad)