Melbourne Study Demonstrates Rise in Women Open to Altruistic Egg Donation

Women who undertake elective egg freezing in the hope of fulfilling longer-term reproductive plans also demonstrate high levels of altruism through being open to donate any of their unused eggs to help others achieve pregnancy.   

This is one of the key findings from new Australian research on the perceptions and intentions of women who freeze their eggs to preserve their fertility. 

The Melbourne-based study involved a group of 206 women aged between 28 and 43 who on average had stored their eggs for just over three years. Eighteen per cent of the women had partners and 82 per cent were single. 

Franca Agresta, Melbourne IVF Clinical Research Manager, said “Apart from considering their own reproductive future, over 83 per cent of the study participants said they were willing to help others by donating any of their unused stored egg”. 

“Women have varying reasons for electing to freeze their eggs to access for IVF at a later stage, but our study shows a consistent and high level of altruism to help others achieve their dreams of parenthood,” she said. 

“We also found wide variation on women’s intentions for using their stored eggs highlighting how the technology offers a flexible option to accommodate different life circumstances.”

“For example, 52.2 per cent said they would prefer to access their stored eggs in the context of a stable relationship while others were open to using them as single women with a known sperm donor (8.4 per cent) or unknown donor (23.7 per cent).” 

The study, presented at the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) annual conference in Perth in September, was jointly conducted by Melbourne IVF, the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital. 

Ms Agresta said a downside of the study outcome was that many women over-estimate their chances of pregnancy through IVF at age forty. 

“Almost one in three study participants believed their chance of IVF success at age 40 were over thirty per cent despite the actual rates being much lower at between 7 and 15 per cent,” she explained. 

“Among the women in our study, 85.7 per cent had a tertiary or higher education level, but there was a concerning gap between perceived and actual IVF success rates.”

“It shows that many women do not fully grasp how significantly fertility declines, particularly after age 40.” 

Melbourne IVF fertility specialist, Dr Violet Kieu, said despite the availability of advanced reproductive technologies, success rates in terms of pregnancy and live birth diminish with age due to natural and unavoidable decline in both egg quality and quantity. 

“We encourage women to seek reproductive health information earlier, particularly if they are considering egg freezing to preserve their optimal fertility for later use,” she said.