Women considering egg freezing now have access to an independent, evidence-based tool developed by the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women's Hospital to help them make an informed decision.
The Egg-Freezing Decision Aid launched this week contains resources such as a decision-making exercise and options, personal stories as well as a list of questions to ask their fertility specialist.
Egg-freezing is the process of retrieving and storing eggs that can be used in future IVF cycles, which involves hormonal injections, an egg retrieval under anaesthetic and storage costs.
Around 28 per cent of people who freeze their eggs return to use them in an IVF cycle in Australia later, research shows.
Project lead Dr Sherine Sandhu, Research Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health at the University and Women's, said the website is for women who are considering egg freezing due to their age.
"Deciding to freeze eggs is a complex and emotionally driven decision," Dr Sandhu said. "Women will need to weigh up the pros and cons, such as the costs, benefits, and medical burden, as well as their own personal circumstances.
"We developed the Egg-Freezing Decision Aid because there isn't any comprehensive, independent, and evidence-based information available to support women with their decision."
Dr Sherine Sandhu has led the development of a new decision aid website.
The team's previous research, published in 2023, found that women typically spend around two years deciding whether to freeze their eggs. Many participants said they wanted access to information about egg freezing earlier, ideally in their 20s, from trusted healthcare professionals and reliable online sources.
The study also highlighted the significant uncertainty women face when considering elective egg freezing.
University of Melbourne Associate Professor Michelle Peate, Program Lead in the Psychosocial Health and Wellbeing Research (emPoWeR) Unit said previous research has also shown women who are considering egg freezing are wanting to understand their options to take steps to preserve their fertility.
"There is a clear need for trustworthy information and decision support as elective egg freezing rates rise, women are often relying on clinic marketing or social media influencers, and our independent, research -based tool fills that gap," Associate Professor Peate, also a researcher at the Women's, said.
"We also know they may be turning to their GP for information, and yet GPs have also told us in previous research they feel ill-equipped to provide advice on fertility counselling.
"This decision aid is not designed to promote treatment, but to support informed, values-based decision-making.
"When we ran a national randomised trial with 306 women considering egg freezing, we found that our Decision Aid significantly reduced uncertainty and helped women to feel more informed and prepared to make a decision about egg freezing."
