Australian Women’s Knowledge of and Attitudes towards Non-Medical Oocyte Cryopreservation
Date
2020
Authors
Arendt, Molly
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Thesis
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Abstract
Aims: Infertility is a global public health issue, with one in six couples worldwide facing fertility
issues. One technique to potentially combat this issue and preserve fertility is oocyte
cryopreservation (egg freezing), which has previously been heavily researched among cancer
patients. The present study focused on egg freezing for non-medical indications and aimed to
determine which factors are associated with the decision to freeze eggs.
Method: 514 participants aged between 18-44 years completed an online survey exploring
knowledge of fertility, reproductive intentions and attitudes towards non-medical egg freezing.
All factors were analysed descriptively. T-tests and Chi-Square analyses were also used to check
for significant differences. Eighteen variables, identified as significant predictors of egg freezing
in prior literature, were entered into a binary multiple logistic regression.
Results: Overall, participants had poor knowledge of fertility with a mean score of 2.35/7 (SD=
1.31) on the adapted Swedish Fertility Awareness Questionnaire. Attitudes towards non-medical
egg freezing were generally positive, with 61.3% of participants (N= 315) positively endorsing
the procedure. Five variables were identified as predictors for the choice to undergo non-medical
egg freezing: age, health of offspring, the importance of having children, having had a prior
fertility consultation, and Medicare subsidisation.
Conclusions: This study demonstrated an increasingly pressing need for targeted and effective
fertility information. Future research, specifically examining the impacts of age and cost on the
decision to undergo non-medical egg freezing in an Australian sample would be beneficial to
determine if the results are replicable or the result of individual differences.
School/Discipline
School of Psychology
Dissertation Note
Thesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2020
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