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Experts: Egg Freezing Still Experimental

 
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Even though egg freezing is increasingly being offered to women who want to delay motherhood, the procedure is still highly experimental and has a low success rate, says the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

For every frozen egg that's thawed, there is a 2 percent to 4 percent chance of a live birth, according to the ASRM, which issued a list of warnings that must be given to women so they can make an informed choice about the expensive procedure, the Associated Press reported.

Among the warnings that must be given to women:

* There's a possibility that none of the stored eggs will survive.
* Women who freeze eggs before age 35 will likely never need to use them.
* Ovary-stimulating drugs used to retrieve eggs can cause side effects.

Worldwide, there have been about 500 births from frozen-and-thawed eggs, compared with more than 200,000 births from frozen embryos, the wire service said.

"There are far fewer published outcomes for thawed previously frozen eggs than many might believe," said Dr. Marc Fritz of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who led the ASRM's discussions about egg freezing, the AP reported.