about

Egg freezing is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) that is used to preserve a person’s eggs. Since fertility for people with ovaries, largely women, declines as eggs age, egg freezing allows people to preserve their eggs when they are younger so that they can use them later, increasing their chances of using those eggs to create a pregnancy. It is advertised as a way to “have it all” and has been lauded for its potential as fertility insurance, allowing people to take control of their reproduction and delay childbearing until the time is right.

However, although egg freezing in Canada has been steadily increasing, little is known about the experiences of those engaging in egg freezing in Canada. This is the first interview study of people’s experiences with elective egg freezing in Canada and the first Canadian study to investigate egg freezing consent processes. Throughout 2022-2024 we interviewed 27 people who froze their eggs in Canada. We also collected consent documents from Canadian fertility clinics, and conducted interviews with fertility professionals about the consent processes at their clinics. Our goal was to document people’s stories and to improve the circumstances of egg freezing for those who engage—or choose otherwise—in the future.

We will continue to update the website with publications from the project here:

Hammond Kathleen. [Forthcoming Fall 2025] “Evaluating Elective Egg Freezing Consent Documents from Canadian Fertility Clinics.” Canadian Journal of Family Law (special issue on Reproduction and the Law).

Hammond Kathleen, Chloe Potamianos & Neha Chauhan, “Patients’ experiences with elective egg freezing (EEF) consent processes: best practices and recommendations for improving informed consent.” European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Annual Meeting (published poster). Paris, France. 29 June 2025.

Hammond Kathleen & Cattapan Alana, 2025. “Elective Egg Freezing in Canada: Developing a Framework for Consent Documents.” Journal of Medical Humanities https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-025-09953-6.

 

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Elective Egg Freezing in Canada: Towards Appropriate Regulation Governing Consent is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada Explore Program and Insight Development Program. 

Elective Egg Freezing in Canada: Towards Appropriate Regulation Governing Consent is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada Explore Program and Insight Development Program. The study has has been reviewed and approved by the Toronto Metropolitan University Research Ethics Board [2021-539], and a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board [#44524]