Freezing Eggs for Lifestyle Reasons

Savulescu, Julian; Goold, Imogen

doi:10.1080/15265160802248492

Cited by 22 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Yet the ESHRE, the ASRM and other advocates of reproductive autonomy (such as Robertson,7) believe that such autonomy should be limited for fear of harm to the woman and her potential offspring. By contrast, the policy of Israel, as well as other advocates of the technology,25 26 30 is that women should not be restrained from using the technology provided that its risks are well understood. Once given a comprehensive explanation about the technology's shortcomings, women are then free to exercise their reproductive autonomy and decide for themselves whether or not the technology is beneficial to them.…”

Section: Autonomy Versus Social Constraints; or Are Women Truly The Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…And eventually, what are the chances that the child will lose its mother, or become her carer, at a relatively young age?38 The Israeli discourse overlooks these concerns, while ethical writings in favour of egg freezing for age-related fertility decline argue that late motherhood may actually be advantageous, both to women and their offspring, based on the higher income and greater job security that older women are likely to enjoy, as well as on their greater emotional readiness for motherhood. In addition, it is argued that, in light of rising life expectancies, children born to older mothers are less likely to be orphaned or to serve as care givers at a young age 25 26…”

Section: Autonomy Versus Social Constraints; or Are Women Truly The Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Egg freezing for non-medical uses: the lack of a relational approach to autonomy in the new Israeli policy and in academic discussion

Shkedi‐Rafid

Hashiloni‐Dolev

2011

J Med Ethics

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Recently, the Israel National Bioethics Council (INBC) issued recommendations permitting egg freezing to prevent both disease- and age-related fertility decline. The INBC report forms the basis of Israel's new policy, being one of the first countries to regulate and authorise egg freezing for what it considers to be non-medical (ie, social) uses. The ethical discussion in the INBC report is reviewed and compared with the scant ethical discourse in the academic literature on egg freezing as a means of preventing age-related loss of fertility. We argue that both the INBC recommendations and the bioethical academic discourse on egg freezing are grounded in liberal ideology, which views technology as primarily enabling. Accordingly, they promote 'individual autonomy' as exercised through informed consent. Our study suggests that a relational approach to autonomy may be a more suitable model for considering women's choices about egg freezing.

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Section: Autonomy Versus Social Constraints; or Are Women Truly The Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Autonomy Versus Social Constraints; or Are Women Truly The Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Egg freezing for non-medical uses: the lack of a relational approach to autonomy in the new Israeli policy and in academic discussion

Shkedi‐Rafid

Hashiloni‐Dolev

2011

J Med Ethics

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“…Außerdem kann der Zeitpunkt der Fortpflanzung in die postmenopausale Lebensphase verschoben werden, ohne dass eine Frau damit auf genetisch eigene Kinder verzichten müsste (vgl. [4,15,33]). Das Argument der Schädigung von Fremdspenderinnen (ihre verdinglichende Degradierung als "Eizelllieferantin") wäre damit außer Kraft gesetzt.…”

Section: A) Möglicher Schaden Für Die Betroffene(n) Frau(en)unclassified

“…Während die Möglichkeit einer postmenopausalen Schwangerschaft bisher auf der Spende fremder eizellen basierte, sind durch neue Einfrier-und Auftautechniken von unbefruchteten Eizellen ("egg freezing") auch Schwangerschaften im hohen Alter mit eigenen eizellen möglich. Dadurch kann die Frau den Zeitpunkt ihrer Fortpflanzung unabhängig von ihrem chronologischen Alter wählen, indem sie sich in jungen, fertilen Jahren eine Eizellreserve anlegt, auf die sie dann im Alter zurückgreifen kann [33]. Somit gehören Adressaten und Benutzer der reproduktionsmedizin nun gleichzeitig auch zur Zielklientel der anti-aging-Medizin -und umgekehrt.…”

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Would postmenopausal pregnancies become more desirable with anti-aging medicine?

Eichinger

Bittner

2010

Ethik Med

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3O r i g i n a l a r b e i t Zusammenfassung Durch Fortschritte in der modernen reproduktionsmedizin ist es Frauen heute möglich, auch nach der Menopause mit eigenen eizellen schwanger zu werden. Damit wird die Fortpflanzung im homologen System auch im Alter zu einer realistischen Option. Gegen derartige späte Schwangerschaften gibt es vielfältige Argumente, die vor allem auf mögliche Schädigungen aufgrund des hohen Alters der Mutter verweisen. Maßnahmen der Anti-Aging-Medizin zum Erhalt bzw. zur Verbesserung der kognitiven und physischen Leistungsfähigkeit im fortgeschrittenen Alter könnten diese Einwände gegen den Einsatz von Reproduktionstechniken nach der Menopause entkräften. Der Beitrag geht der Frage nach, wie erstrebenswert postmenopausale Schwangerschaften unter diesen Voraussetzungen eigentlich sind. Es wird die These vertreten, dass eine Schadensargumentation für eine ethische Bewertung allein nicht ausreichend ist, sondern auch Überlegungen zu Status und Authentizität des Kinderwunsches, zum Selbstverständnis der Medizin, zur Autonomie der Betroffenen sowie zur Natürlichkeit der Lebensführung berücksichtigt werden müssen. Darüber hinaus zeigt sich, wie Entwicklungen in zwei spezifischen Anwendungsbereichen (Anti-Aging-und Reproduktionsmedizin) in einer gemeinsamen Betrachtung zusammengeführt und mit Gewinn für allgemeinere medizinethische Überlegungen bewertet werden können.Schlüsselwörter anti-aging-Medizin · reproduktionsmedizin · Postmenopausale Schwangerschaft · Kinderwunsch im Alter · Autonomie · Natürlichkeit · Selbstverständnis der Medizin Abstract Background and problem Assisted reproduction technologies -especially egg freezing -offer women the possibility to become pregnant after menopause. Most arguments against postmenopausal motherhood highlight the potential harm for the women involved, the child, and society in general. But these arguments will lose their power when anti-aging medicine is developing successfully: its aim is to decelerate the process of cognitive and physical aging and to postpone arising impairments. As a result, women in their fifties or sixties might be as healthy as a 40-year-old woman today. Therefore, to evaluate postmenopausal motherhoods, one has to broaden the scope: arguments of harm are not sufficient. Arguments and conclusion One needs to reflect on the normative force of human nature and its life-cycles, the authenticity of the wish for a child in later life stages, as well as the role and goals of medicine in such cases. This paper shows how advances in anti-aging medicine and reproduction medicine should be evaluated in a common approach: such a new, combined perspective helps rethinking ethical deliberating.

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“…36 If biological difference is the root of inequality between men and women, then egg freezing can help level the playing field by lengthening the time during which a woman can become pregnant. Savulescu and Imogen 37 and Goold and Savulescu 38 have argued that egg freezing for nonmedical reasons promotes sex equality. Among its many benefits, egg freezing promotes equal participation in employment, equal participation in educational endeavors, and a more equal amount of time to find a partner.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the ethics of social egg freezing and fertility preservation for nonmedical reasons

Harwood

2015

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Abstract:The practice of egg freezing reached a new milestone in 2012, when the American Society for Reproductive Medicine removed its designation as "experimental". Studies of the safety and efficacy of egg freezing led the ASRM to recommend egg freezing for patients facing infertility due to gonadotoxic therapies, but prompted continued caution against egg freezing when undertaken for nonmedical reasons. The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology has more explicitly supported nonmedical egg freezing. Ethical debate about nonmedical egg freezing raises many familiar issues, including the limits of individual autonomy when a medical technology is used for an elective reason. Concerns include commercial exploitation, pressure on women to use egg freezing, and the overall impact of egg freezing on sex inequality and professional norms. The ethical debate also calls for a more careful consideration of whether age-related fertility decline should count as a medical justification for fertility preservation. In lieu of broad consensus on these matters, this paper recommends honoring the principle of autonomy while insisting on better information about utilization and outcomes. Given the significant drop-off in success rates for women who attempt egg freezing when they are older than 38 years, full disclosure in the informed consent process must involve information about success rates by age-group. Much greater consistency and thoroughness in reporting would yield better and more generalizable data.

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Freezing Eggs for Lifestyle Reasons

Cited by 22 publications

References 14 publications

Egg freezing for non-medical uses: the lack of a relational approach to autonomy in the new Israeli policy and in academic discussion

Egg freezing for non-medical uses: the lack of a relational approach to autonomy in the new Israeli policy and in academic discussion

Would postmenopausal pregnancies become more desirable with anti-aging medicine?

On the ethics of social egg freezing and fertility preservation for nonmedical reasons

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