ArticleReproductive biomedicine & society online2021
The marketing of elective egg freezing: A content, cost and quality analysis of UK fertility clinic websites.
Article in Reproductive biomedicine & society online, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Eggsurance? A randomized controlled trial of a decision aid for elective egg freezing.Human reproduction (Oxford, England) · 2024Trial
- The development and phase 1 evaluation of a Decision Aid for elective egg freezing.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2023Trial
- The illusion of empowerment: commercializing women's health in the digital age.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- Is There Ever a Right Time? An Evaluation of Family Planning During Otolaryngology Residency.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2026Article
- Commercial Impacts on Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Scoping Review.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2026Article
- Trends in patient age at planned oocyte cryopreservation.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2024Observational
- Reflecting sex, social class and race inequalities in reproduction? Study of the gender representations conveyed by 38 fertility centre websites in 8 European countries.Reproductive health · 2024Article
- Awareness, Attitude, and Fertility Desire in Elective Oocyte Cryopreservation of Adults in Four Areas of China.International journal of general medicine · 2024Article
- The first nationwide website survey of the availability and costs of medical and non-medical oocyte cryopreservation in Japan.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Information and decision support needs: A survey of women interested in receiving planned oocyte cryopreservation information.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2023Article
- Stimulating fertility awareness: the importance of getting the language right.Human reproduction open · 2023Article
- Ensuring Population Health in the Era of Aging in Vietnam: Policy Review and Factors Associated with Intentions of Childbearing before the Age of 30 among Youths.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Factors Associated with Website Operation among Small Hospitals and Medical and Dental Clinics in Korea.Healthcare informatics research · 2022Article
- 'I feel that injustice is being done to me': a qualitative study of women's viewpoints on the (lack of) reimbursement for social egg freezing.BMC medical ethics · 2022Article
- Randomized control trial of a decision aid for women considering elective egg freezing: The Eggsurance study protocol.Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To the authors' knowledge, this is the first UK-based study to analyse the marketing of elective egg freezing (EEF) by fertility clinics. Analyses were based on the websites of the top 15 UK clinics, which together provided 87.8% of all egg freezing cycles in the UK between 2008 and 2017 inclusive. The analyses included three phases: content analysis; systematic cost analysis and comparison; and quality analysis examining the information available on egg freezing and its adherence to the guidelines of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The results show that clinics frame EEF according to four main themes: as a new and exciting technology; as a solution to (a modern woman's) life circumstances; as a means to gain control, freedom and more reproductive options; and as a means to avoid the reproductive risks of ageing. This study also found that most clinics are not sufficiently clear and transparent about the 'true' cost of an EEF cycle, present an unbalanced view of EEF, and do not provide satisfactory data or information. Most importantly, none of the clinics adhere adequately to the HFEA guidelines regarding advertising and the provision of information. As the EEF market continues to grow, offered exclusively by private clinics, these findings require urgent attention. Clinics must improve the type and quality of EEF information on their websites such that potential patients can make informed choices, and this article provides 10 basic criteria which can be used as a checklist. It is suggested that the time may have come to grant greater economic regulatory powers to HFEA to avoid overcommercialization of the fertility industry.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.