In Switzerland, an increasing number of young women are choosing to freeze their eggs to increase their chances of becoming mothers even after the age of 40. Egg cryopreservation is a growing trend worldwide.
The data from the Federal Statistical Office is clear: excluding cases for medical reasons, between 2019 and 2023 the number of women freezing their eggs tripled, increasing from 841 to 2551 in five years. According to partial data, at least 710 more cases were added to this number during 2024, albinfo.ch reports.
Singleness and postponing motherhood
What are the reasons that push women towards this decision? According to Marina Bellavia, medical director of ProCrea Lugano, one of the main motives is the lack of a partner.
"When a young woman realizes that she is approaching the 35-year threshold - the age after which the fertility curve begins to decline - she may think it is better to preserve her eggs to have an additional opportunity in the future," she explains.
Changes in Western society have led to women becoming mothers later and later. In Switzerland, the average age of first birth is over 31, while fertility is known to decline with age. However, this way of “buying time” often raises concerns about the risks and side effects, especially those associated with hormonal therapies for ovarian stimulation.
Dr. Bellavia gives reassurance in this regard: “The most painful part is the egg retrieval procedure, which is performed under deep general anesthesia, so that the patient does not feel any pain. The stimulation phase, on the other hand, is painless, as the injections are made with a very thin needle under the skin and are usually tolerated without problem, even by those who are afraid of needles. In 48 years of practice in the field of in vitro fertilization, we know that there are no short-term or long-term risks associated with these hormones.”
A procedure that is not infallible
However, egg freezing is not a guarantee of pregnancy. It does not necessarily ensure the use of the stored eggs.
“The utilization rate of these eggs has recently been published,” says Bellavia. “In reality, it remains low, fluctuating between 15 and 30 percent. The main reasons are a spontaneous pregnancy in the meantime or the lack of a partner. As a result, the eggs are stored for a longer time, since the patient cannot yet become pregnant. However, they become even more important, because over time the chances of natural pregnancy decrease.”
Cryopreservation can be repeated several times and the initial cost of the procedure is around 5 thousand Swiss francs.
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