Antje has always dreamed of many children. But as a single woman, she had to go to Denmark to get pregnant. After the birth, it became legal for all women to freeze unfertilized eggs in Norway without a medical reason. – It was a day of jubilation, she says. Sandven was not the only one who cheered. Figures from the last three years show that more and more people are carrying out “social egg freezing”, i.e. freezing for no medical reason at private clinics. – I see it as a sign that women are starting to take responsibility for their own health and their own lives. It should not be a tool to delay pregnancies. But it is not always appropriate to have children, or to have met someone, says Sandven. Antje Sandven and her son, who was born with the help of a donor in Denmark. Photo: Privat Wants to wait with child number two Just six months after the birth, the single mother took action. She started the process of freezing eggs at a private clinic in Haugesund. – I wasn’t ready for child number two on my own, so I rather wanted to explore the possibilities of removing eggs, says Sandven. At the time, she was over 35 years old, and therefore started to have bad time. But she managed to retrieve six eggs. This cost her NOK 60,000. In addition, she pays NOK 2,000 a year for storage. – I wanted to secure myself for the future. I have few eggs and a history of difficulty getting pregnant, she says. Antje Sandven is expecting child number two, but hopes she has secured the opportunity. Photo: Synne Sørenes / news On 1 July 2020, it became legal for all women to store unfertilised eggs in Norway. In the same year, 21 people did this at private clinics. The following year, 174 women followed suit, according to figures from the Directorate of Health. – No guarantee Norway now has record low birth rates. But freezing unfertilized eggs is no guarantee for future children, according to Jon Hausken, clinic manager at Klinikk Hausken. – From a 32-year-old woman, we need 10-12 eggs to be reasonably safe for one child, says Hausken. Not all eggs can become an embryo after fertilization. Therefore, the Biotechnology Council recommends that women are not older than 35 when they freeze eggs. – Not all eggs survive the thaw. In addition, you are dependent on your partner. He can also destroy some of the eggs, says Hausken. Jon Hausken runs fertility clinics in Haugesund, Stavanger, Oslo and Bergen. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news Believe in record year More and more people are contacting the clinic, which is based in several places in the country. news has contacted several private clinics. Figures from these clinics show that the trend continues. In 2023, the clinics believe in a record year, based on the number of withdrawals so far this year. – I think it is natural. Once you have an option, many people take advantage of it. We have moved this by having children a bit higher in age. Many are in their 30s before they start thinking about the family, says Hausken. Only 3 out of 100 use the eggs Oslo University Hospital has noticed more inquiries after freezing eggs became legal for all women, according to Peter Fedorcsak, clinic manager at the reproductive medicine department. But in the public sector, they only offer egg freezing for women who have a special medical reason to do so. For example, if a woman is to be treated for cancer. He says experiences from abroad show that very few use eggs that are frozen. According to the doctor, out of a hundred women who freeze eggs, only three give birth to children from these later. – It is difficult to say why. But part of the explanation is that a lot happens in life from the time you freeze eggs. Many people get pregnant spontaneously, or they don’t want to get pregnant, says Fedorcsak. Peter Fedorcsak at the Department of Reproductive Medicine says the very frozen eggs are never used. Photo: Amalie Huth Hovland / OUS He is happy that the offer exists for certain patient groups, but says it can also lead to overtreatment. – It is a large procedure that provides very little benefit later. No matter how we look at it, this often becomes an overtreatment where we take resources from other patient groups. It is doubtful whether this will have a place in the public health system, he says.
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“Social egg freezing” increasingly popular – more people freeze eggs at private clinics – news Vestland
