Lord Winston attacks egg freezing
Updated on 01 July 2009
Women who have their eggs frozen in order to pursue a career or delay motherhood are victims of a "confidence trick", one of Britain's leading fertility experts have claimed.
IVF pioneer and broadcaster Lord Winston attacked fertility doctors for encouraging patients to sign up for expensive treatment that would not guarantee them a baby.
In an interview with the London Evening Standard, Lord Winston, emeritus professor of fertility studies at Imperial College, said: "Women are paying a very high premium for an expensive 'insurance' policy. And this policy should not be sold at the present time.
"The whole thing is a bit of a confidence trick. If a woman goes for egg freezing and produces six to 10 eggs that's a dangerous quantity. It will be the result of hyperstimulation which increases the risk of chromosome defects.
"Then, say, all the eggs freeze and half then fertilise (after thawing) then the chance of getting one or two viable embryos is not guaranteed."
Lord Winston made his comments as experts gathered in Amsterdam for the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology's annual conference, although he was not at the meeting.
He said more research should be carried out into delaying the menopause rather than relying on "quick fixes" like egg freezing.
"Clinics are building up false optimism for women," he added.
Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield and secretary of the British Fertility Society (BFS), which represents clinics, said a review of egg freezing was under way.
A policy paper from the BFS was due to be published in the next few weeks.
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