Abstract
Within our society, despite peak fertility occurring during a woman’s 20s, many women are choosing to delay childbearing for a variety of reasons. Furthermore, the timeline of female fertility is not readily understood among the general population. Assisted reproductive technologies are being viewed by many as a strategy for coping with age-related infertility. Yet, assisted reproductive technology is limited in its ability to overcome age-related infertility. Fertility preservation strategies, such as egg and ovarian tissue cryopreservation, initially designed for woman receiving gonadotoxic therapies are being offered to a broader audience. Despite these strategies being investigational, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, a majority of clinics in the USA are making egg freezing available to women of all ages for ‘social reasons’. While new technologies are sometimes quick to be embraced, their benefits may not always outweigh the costs. This article seeks to examine the true cost to society of delayed childbearing.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Ms Belleavia for reviewing the manuscript and providing valuable insights.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.