Fertility: frozen eggs approved

Dr Richard Fisher says that frozen eggs had been used in clinics overseas for 10 years and more than 1000 babies had been born using the technology. Photo / Richard Robinson

Infertile women have been given new hope with a ruling that will allow the birth of New Zealand's first baby from frozen eggs.

The Ministry of Health yesterday approved the use of frozen human eggs in fertility treatment after an evaluation into the safety of the technology.

About 30 women have frozen eggs stored at Fertility Associates clinics and these can now be thawed and fertilised before implantation.

"We have a couple of people who have expressed interest in thawing their eggs as soon as consent is available but it's not an immediate request," said Fertility Associates' clinical director, Dr Richard Fisher.

He said frozen eggs had been used in clinics overseas for 10 years and more than 1000 babies had been born using the technology.

The approval - for people over the age of 20 - comes after a ministry advisory committee evaluation into the safety of freezing and thawing human eggs.

In 2003 the technique was tried by two New Zealand women. One did not conceive and the other's pregnancy did not continue.

Since 2004, when the Human Assisted Reproduction Act came in, clinics have been allowed to freeze the eggs but not fertilise them.

In 2006, a woman applied for approval through Fertility Associates to the Ethics Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology to use the technology.

An associated advisory committee began evaluation because internationally there were uncertainties over whether the children would develop abnormalities.

"People are now happy that safety aspects are well enough understood and risks appear to be very small if they exist at all," said Dr Fisher.

He said the technology would be limited to women whose reproductive careers were ending, either because of cancer or some other treatment.

HOW IT WORKS
* Up to 15 eggs are removed from the ovaries using a needle, following hormone injections to stimulate egg production.
* The eggs are put in a narrow tube and frozen in liquid nitrogen to -196C. They can be stored indefinitely.
* To be fertilised, the eggs are thawed and sperm is injected into them.
* They are grown into embryos and implanted in the uterus.