What do female medical students know about planned oocyte cryopreservation and what are their personal attitudes?

This study aimed to assess medical student knowledge and attitudes regarding oocyte cryopreservation, as well as attitudes regarding future intentions of utilizing this procedure. This cross-sectional web-based survey study was distributed to 873 medical students at the University of Kansas from July through September 2018. The survey was self-reported and female medical student responses were analyzed. Students were surveyed through a variety of multiple-choice questions on demographics, knowledge of oocyte cryopreservation, and factors and attitudes that would impact personal and professional use of oocyte cryopreservation. A total of 122 female responses were collected (30%). A majority of female medical students were aware of oocyte cryopreservation, less than half correctly identified a dramatic drop in female fertility as well as oocyte cryopreservation success and cost-effectiveness. Three-quarters felt pressure to delay childbearing and nearly two-thirds would consider freezing their oocytes. Several factors were found to alter their decision toward oocyte cryopreservation including personal factors, procedure complexity and availability, and outcomes. A majority of female medical students are amenable to the possibility of using oocyte cryopreservation to delay childbearing. Though nearly all knew of oocyte cryopreservation, knowledge regarding fertility and oocyte cryopreservation was low.

Armstrong AG ，Woods M ，Keomany J ，Grainger D ，Shah S ，Pavone M ... -  《-》

Is employer coverage of elective egg freezing coercive?: a survey of medical students' knowledge, intentions, and attitudes towards elective egg freezing and employer coverage.

Ikhena-Abel DE ，Confino R ，Shah NJ ，Lawson AK ，Klock SC ，Robins JC ，Pavone ME ... -  《-》

Understanding social oocyte freezing in Italy: a scoping survey on university female students' awareness and attitudes.

Tozzo P ，Fassina A ，Nespeca P ，Spigarolo G ，Caenazzo L ... -  《-》

Physicians' attitudes towards using elective oocyte cryopreservation to accommodate the demands of their career.

Nasab S ，Shah JS ，Nurudeen K ，Jooya ND ，Abdallah ME ，Sibai BM ... -  《-》

Knowledge and beliefs about oocyte cryopreservation for medical and social reasons in female students: a cross-sectional survey.

With the increasing number of young women surviving cancer and a growing trend among highly educated women to postpone childbearing for educational or professional pursuits, there is a rising demand for egg freezing services to ensure a successful pregnancy. This study aims to assess the knowledge and beliefs surrounding oocyte cryopreservation, both for medical and social reasons, among female students in Tehran, Iran. An online cross-sectional survey was carried out from March to August of 2022, involving a total of 1279 childless students pursuing master's and doctoral degrees at universities in Tehran. The participants were between the ages of 18 and 38. Knowledge and beliefs about medical and social oocyte cryopreservation were assessed through Fertility Preservation Survey (FPS) instrument. The mean age of the participants was 26.38 ± 4.9. The majority of students expected to be "30-34 years" when they become pregnant with their first child (41.1%, M: 30.3 ± 4.13 years) and "35-39 years" when they give birth to their last child (46.7%, M: 35.28 ± 4.18 years). The students agreed with preserving fertility with medical (93.3%) and social (86.9%) indications and believed the medical (95.1%) and social (87.4%) costs of cryopreservation should be covered by the healthcare system. Among the participants, 75.6% considered cost to be a definite or probable factor in their decision to pursue fertility preservation. The oncology team's recommendation was identified as the most important factor in deciding on medical egg freezing (92.6%, M: 3.46 ± 0.71). The overall correct response rate for the knowledge questions was 57.7%. The majority of participants (95.5%) agreed that physicians should routinely provide information about egg freezing to women of childbearing age during their regular healthcare visits. The research results revealed that female students in Tehran universities have a positive attitude towards medical and social egg freezing, but lack sufficient knowledge about the ideal timing of childbearing. Health professionals could provide detailed information about fertility preservation and age-related infertility as part of routine healthcare visits or reproductive health planning. Additionally, expanding supportive policies and incentives for childbearing established by the government to cover the costs of fertility preservation would be beneficial.

Akhondi MM ，Ardakani ZB ，Warmelink JC ，Haghani S ，Ranjbar F ... -  《BMC Womens Health》