KEY POINTS:
New Zealand women about to undergo cancer treatment will be able to freeze their eggs before the treatment, and use them later in life, under an advisory committee proposal made public yesterday.
The proposal, one of two released for public discussion by the Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology, gives hope to women who would otherwise have little chance of becoming pregnant after cancer treatment.
Cancer treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy can leave women infertile, but freezing the woman's fertile eggs beforehand could allow her to conceive after the treatment had concluded.
The proposal comes after a 2005 ruling which allowed women's eggs to be removed and frozen, but not fertilised. The committee had decided too little evidence existed on the risks of using frozen eggs for in vitro fertilisation.
In 2005 there had been no "track record" of cases to assure safety, yesterday's proposal by the committee said.
"This has now occurred and the expert committee providing guidance in this area now believes it is safe to proceed."
The treatment is already available in Australia, Italy, England and the United States. The second proposal suggested permitting embryo screening to allow an exact match with another family member in need of stem cell treatment. After birth, the umbilical cord stem cells could be used for treating non-inherited diseases in "close family members".
That practice is already allowed for the treatment of inherited illnesses, and the proposal would open it up to illnesses such as leukemia, Fertility Associates medical director Dr Mary Birdsall said.
A family whose child had leukemia but who couldn't find an exact match for treatment, and were already planning another child, could now use the technology to ensure an exact match.
While the treatment would probably cost about $13,000, it could become state-funded, she said. The frozen egg treatment was unlikely to be state-funded, and would cost about $10,000.
The 20 to 25 New Zealand women who had their eggs frozen were understood to be far less than the number wanting to use the technology. It is expected more would come forward if the existing restrictions were lifted.
Dr Birdsall said the proposal rectified the "awkward situation" of women whose eggs had been frozen, not being able to use them. While she supported the committee's cautious approach, the time was right to allow women to use frozen eggs for IVF. New Zealand was equipped with the facilities to give the treatment, and the more than 400 healthy babies born worldwide from frozen eggs proved the technology was safe.
Traditional IVF treatment offered a success rate of about 50 per cent for each cycle. The success rate from using frozen eggs would probably be less than that, but how much less was not yet known, she said.
The public has until September 5 to submit their views on the two proposals, committee spokesman Professor Gareth Jones said.
The committee would take "reasoned arguments" into account before submitting its final proposal to the Health Minister, probably in November, he said.
STEP BY STEP
* Woman given injection to stimulate fertility.
* She produces a batch of eggs, instead of the normal one.
* These eggs are removed and frozen.
* The eggs can then be stored up to 10 years.
* When ready, they are thawed and injected with sperm.
* When fertilised, the eggs are returned to the mother's womb.
* Total cost expected to be about $10,000.
