C URRENT O PINION Ethics of medical and nonmedical oocyte cryopreservation Pasquale Patrizio a , Emanuela Molinari a , and Arthur Caplan b Purpose of review To assess the effectiveness and ethical dimensions of oocyte cryopreservation for both medical and social indications. Recent findings As more women are postponing motherhood for a variety of reasons, including lack of partner, for completing career plans and reaching financial stability, they are resorting to oocyte cryopreservation. To make informed choices, women rely on their primary care physicians (PCPs) for initial advice, but PCPs are not always fully prepared to discuss oocyte cryopreservation. Interestingly, there are mixed feelings among obstetricians/gynecologists on whether oocyte cryopreservation should be used for elective reasons, whereas it is fully supported for medical indications. Summary Oocyte vitrification has become an established procedure for safeguarding future reproductive chances for medical reasons, and its use is progressively expanding. There is an urgent need in preparing future PCPs and obstetricians/gynecologists as to how to initiate discussions with their patients about elective oocyte banking consistent with fully respecting patient autonomy so as to facilitate informed decisions. Keywords delayed motherhood, IVF, oocyte cryopreservation, reproductive ethics INTRODUCTION Over the past decade, fertility preservation has become an important aspect of patient care particularly in cases in which medical treatments could irreversibly impair the ability of an individual to reproduce. Prior to embarking on chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, as chemotherapy in particu- lar can result in sterility, fertility preservation must be discussed. The ability to preserve eggs has introduced a new dimension into medical practice, raising awareness over the concept of ‘salvaging’ fertility as a component of care for women of reproductive age and younger. Women with other medical, noncancer conditions, including benign ovarian tumors, auto- immune disorders such as systemic lupus erythema- tosus, carriers of BRCA mutations and patients requesting body sex modification by removal of their ovaries, are also using egg freezing as a method to preserve their chance of a future biological child (Table 1). Of interest, a recent survey [1 && ] assessing the knowledge, attitudes and intentions toward fertility awareness and oocyte cryopreservation among obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) resident physicians revealed that they overestimated the age at which female fertility markedly declines. This finding is problematic as women prefer to get their health information from their primary care providers including gynecologists. A major improvement in the method of cooling, called vitrification, has allowed oocyte cryopreser- vation procedure to become popular also among women with nonmedical indications. For this group, oocyte cryopreservation is seen as a potential ‘insurance policy’ against fertility decline due to aging. The practice has been called ‘social freezing’ or ‘elective oocyte banking’ [1 && ]. a Yale University Fertility Center, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut and b NYU Langone Medical Center, Division of Medical Ethics, New York, New York, USA Correspondence to Arthur Caplan, NYU Langone Medical Center, Division of Medical Ethics, New York, New York, USA. E-mail: Caplan@nyumc.org Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes 2016, 23:000–000 DOI:10.1097/MED.0000000000000292 1752-296X Copyright ß 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. www.co-endocrinology.com REVIEW Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.