ASRM: egg cryopreservation still experimental; Egg, ovarian tissue cryopreservation should not be marketed to healthy women, according to a new report.(Gynecology)

PHILADELPHIA -- Egg and ovarian tissue freezing should not be marketed or offered to healthy women as a means to defer reproductive aging, according to a new report issued by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Although the techniques hold promise for female fertility preservation, a lack of sufficient data on success rates and safety issues means these procedures should be performed only experimentally under Institutional Review Board guidelines and only in women who face potentially sterilizing treatment, the report states (Fertil. Steril. 2004;82:993-8).

Despite these recommendations, Extend Fertility, a Boston-based company that earlier this year began promoting egg freezing to healthy women as a means of extending their biological clocks, says it plans to continue offering the service through participating fertility clinics.

"There are women out there who really deserve to have this option now and not be forced to wait another 3-4 years," Tiffany Nels, a spokesperson for Extend Fertility, told this newspaper. "Our position is that while there does need to be continued study.... We see continued interest from leading fertility clinics here in the U.S. who are interested in working with us, [and] we do anticipate to continue offering the services that we have in the past."

The company is offering the services under IRB guidelines, however, the cost is approximately $15,000 per cycle, she said.

Bradford A. Kolb, M.D., of the Huntington Reproductive Center in Pasadena, Calif., one of the company's affiliated clinics, said, "We do recognize the controversy over this issue and do advise patients that this procedure should be considered experimental. It's not a guarantee of preserving one's future" fertility. Dr. Kolb is a medical advisor to Extend Fertility.

Although there is no way to force clinics to follow the guidelines, ASRM spokesman Sean Tipton said that clinics that do not follow the guidelines risk losing their membership with the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), an ASRM affiliate.