Can 'Nanajonggyeol' Become the Savior for Low Birth Rates?... Japan Provides 2.9 Million Won per Person in Support

Preserving Excellent Fertility in 20s Through Egg Freezing
"To Solve Low Birthrate, Support for 'Egg Cryopreservation' Is Needed"

Although there are currently no plans for pregnancy, cases of freezing and storing eggs as a precaution for the uncertain future are increasing. As the age of marriage rises and the number of older unmarried individuals grows, there is also hope that egg freezing could serve as a supplementary measure to address low birth rates.

Egg freezing refers to the process of inducing superovulation to retrieve eggs and then cryopreserving them. When marriage and pregnancy plans are delayed, high-quality eggs are collected in advance and used later when pregnancy is desired.

Increasing Egg Freezing

According to statistics from the Egg Bank at Cha Hospital's Infertility Center on the 2nd, the number of egg freezing procedures in 2021 was 1,194, more than double the 574 cases in 2020. Considering 10 cases in 2011, 71 in 2015, 292 in 2017, and 546 in 2018, this represents a rapid increase.

In the past, eggs were mainly frozen for patients about to undergo chemotherapy to prepare for ovarian function loss, but recently, the center analyzes that young women who want to preserve fertility or pregnancy are seeking egg freezing.

In fact, the younger the woman, the better the quality of eggs obtained. Women are born with an average of 2 million eggs, and the number decreases with age. Especially after age 35, egg quality declines, and after 40, the chance of pregnancy drops sharply to about 5%.

Although about 40% of infertility causes are male-related, sperm freezing is less common compared to egg freezing because sperm ages more slowly. Unlike women, who are born with a fixed number of eggs, men produce sperm regularly, and the decline in male fertility occurs later than in females. Therefore, experts recommend managing sperm quality, as semen volume and motility decrease with age, rather than focusing on sperm freezing.

Can 'Egg Freezing' Solve Low Birth Rates?

South Korea has invested 280 trillion won over the past 16 years to respond to population changes, but the low birth rate phenomenon has worsened. Two years ago, the number of newborns in Korea was 260,000, which is the same as the number of infertility patients. The number of newborns decreased by 27% in four years, while infertility patients increased by 20%.

In this situation, the choice of egg freezing by women who have the will to "definitely give birth if given the chance" can be seen positively. It can also be a useful method for families who delay pregnancy due to career management or economic issues.

However, the cost of egg freezing is not insignificant. Although it varies by hospital, it is around 3 to 4 million won, and since it is not covered by the National Health Insurance, the person undergoing the procedure must bear the full cost.

Also, the number of procedures varies individually depending on ovarian function, and the retrieval process involves considerable pain. Currently, procedure costs are supported for infertile couples, but this support is limited, and there is no financial assistance for unmarried women undergoing egg freezing. Experts say that since Korea records the lowest birth rate in the world, policies to reduce the financial burden of infertility treatments such as egg freezing are necessary.

Japan and China Also Support Egg Freezing

Low birth rates are not just a problem in Korea. Recently, Japan and China have also proposed 'egg freezing' as a solution to low birth rates. Tokyo Metropolitan Government allocated a budget of 100 million yen (about 950 million won) this year to support egg freezing. According to the Asahi Shimbun, the support aims to provide up to 300,000 yen (2.87 million won) per person, targeting 200 to 300 people annually.

Not only the government but also the cosmetics company POLA has been subsidizing 22,000 yen (210,000 won) for egg retrieval and 220,000 yen (2.21 million won) for five years of preservation since 2021, while the mail-order company Japanet Holdings has been covering up to 400,000 yen (3.84 million won) for testing and retrieval costs since last fall.

In China, unmarried women are prohibited from receiving infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization and egg freezing. However, recently, Lu Weiying, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the highest policy advisory body in China, stated regarding solutions to China's low birth rate, "Unmarried women should be given the opportunity to freeze eggs to preserve them before the optimal pregnancy period passes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.