Social Egg Freezing Experiences of Women in Turkey

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study on social egg freezing experiences of women in Turkey. Social egg freezing is the concept that is preferred for the relatively recent use of egg freezing technology for non-medical reasons such as age-related fertility decline. Such uses have also become legal in Turkey since late 2014. In cooperation with an IVF center in Istanbul, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 21 women who decided to freeze their eggs in order to extend their chances of motherhood to later years in their life. In addition to providing detailed information about the demographic characteristics of the participants, the paper sheds light on the questions of why and how these women make the decision to spend a large sum of money and undergo some risky medical procedures for an imagined future of motherhood.