A newborn at a hospital in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of South Korean women who freeze their eggs for the chance to have a baby of their own later is increasing.
Oocyte cryopreservation, more commonly known as egg freezing, is a method of preserving a woman’s fertility so she can try to have children at a later date.
According to the CHA Medical Group, the number of unmarried women who underwent egg freezing treatment at the group’s affiliated hospitals shot up to 493 in 2019 from 14 in 2010.
The statistics cover only unmarried women. The group noted that married women tend to preserve their frozen eggs temporarily during the process of artificial fertilization rather than preserving them for a long period of time.
In the past, egg freezing was used mainly by cancer patients. Ahead of cancer treatment, patients froze their eggs to preserve fertility in the future.
“Unlike in the past when egg freezing was used mainly by cancer patients, most of those who try it today are doing it to preserve their ability to get pregnant,” said Lee Hye-nam, a professor at the CHA Gangnam Medical Center’s Fertility Center.
In general, the older a woman is, the lower the performance of their eggs, making it difficult for them to get pregnant.
According to CHA Medical Group, more than 70 percent of the women who underwent egg freezing procedures there were over 35 years of age.
However, the use of frozen eggs does not guarantee 100 percent success in getting pregnant.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
