The trend in the USA spread to Switzerland: The first Swiss companies pay for egg freezing

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“We, as the National Ethics Commission, are quite skeptical about this,” says Markus Zimmermann, Deputy Chairman of the National Ethics Commission (NEK) in the field of human medicine, when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency.

Since October, pharmaceutical company Merck has become one of the first Swiss companies to cover the costs if employees want to freeze their eggs as a precaution. “Supporting our employees is very important to us,” Merck Switzerland Director Florian Schick tells Keystone-SDA. Freezing eggs is part of the solution to a better work-life balance. Ultimately, this can create a more inclusive and diverse work environment.

Ethicists fear restrictions

Several experts say it is rare in Switzerland for companies to undertake the freezing and preservation of eggs, which costs about 10,000 francs. “But I can imagine that the trend in the US will spread to Switzerland,” says Julia Schmid, who researches the issue at the University of Zurich.

Ethicist Zimmermann fears this will create restrictions. A company is implicitly sending the message that women should prioritize their careers and postpone motherhood. “This creates expectations,” he explains.

Additionally, according to Zimmermann, this may hinder greater efforts to balance family and work. However, Schick clearly emphasizes that this is not the case at Merck.

Additionally, according to Zimmermann, there is an excessive mix between private life and business life. “The issue of reproduction and the desire to have children is a very personal matter. “This should not be confused with the question of what incentives the employer offers,” says Zimmermann.

Freezing does not guarantee future pregnancy

This also creates the illusion that freezing eggs is a guarantee of future pregnancy. But this is not the case, warns Zimmermann. According to reproductive medicine specialist Peter Fehr from the OVA In Vitro Fertilization Clinic in Zurich, after freezing 15 to 20 eggs there is an 80 percent chance of at least one child being born from them.

Freezing of eggs without a medical reason, called social egg freezing, is on the rise in Switzerland. About 30 percent more patients are using the service each year, Fehr said.

Researchers at the University of Zurich are also observing an increase in social egg freezing cases. In the research project “EEggg” Julia Schmid and her research team are investigating the psychological aspects of this phenomenon.

The project is not yet completed; The researchers’ online survey could be completed by the end of November. But Schmid says the nearly 1,000 responses received so far show that social attitudes towards egg freezing among survey respondents are predominantly positive. Many women can also dream of using such a procedure. “In previous studies, the situation was completely different,” says the psychologist. “Analysis of the data will show why.”

The real reason is a lost partner

The main reason for egg freezing is not career. “Research clearly shows that the main reason for the decision to freeze eggs is the lack of a partner,” explains Schmid. Career may still play a minor role. “Women who freeze their eggs usually work at a high workload of at least 80 percent,” explains Schmid.

Additionally, many women postpone their desire to have children for a more stable living situation. Fear of infertility also plays a role in the decision to freeze eggs. To allay this fear, the egg cells would be partially frozen. The proportion of women who actually use their frozen eggs is also low.

In addition to female eggs, male sperm cells can also be frozen. “Fertility for women is more closely linked to age than for men,” explains Schmid. This may be why men approach this issue differently than women. (SDA)

Source :Blick