[News Terms] 'Nandongjeol' Chosen to Delay Childbirth

'Nanjadonggyeol' refers to the process of freezing and storing eggs at ultra-low temperatures. It is a cryopreservation method that temporarily halts biological activity and thaws the eggs for use when needed. There are three cryopreservation methods: egg freezing (Nanjadonggyeol), sperm freezing (Jeongjadonggyeol), and embryo freezing, which involves fertilizing sperm and eggs and then freezing the embryo.

In the past, the procedure was performed on young women of reproductive age before cancer treatment to preserve fertility, but nowadays, most procedures are planned due to delayed marriage and childbirth ages. Married women also tend to prepare for future pregnancy plans through embryo freezing.

In 1998, the team led by Cha Gwang-ryeol at Cha Hospital Global Comprehensive Research Institute developed the 'vitrification egg freezing method' (rapid egg freezing technique), which improved the difficult freezing process and increased the survival rate of eggs. By rapidly freezing eggs in liquid nitrogen at minus 210℃, the survival rate of eggs increased to about 90%.

Oocyte and sperm. [Photo by Pixabay]

For women, egg freezing should be done no later than age 45 because ovarian function declines more rapidly in their 40s. It is a medical consensus that even among women in their 40s, those who froze their eggs at a younger age have higher pregnancy success rates.

Recently, unmarried women undergo egg freezing without immediate plans for childbirth mainly due to economic burdens related to childbirth and parenting, as well as concerns about career interruptions. They preserve fertility because they want to give birth later when economic and environmental conditions are favorable, even if having a child is difficult at the moment.

Seoul City also attracted attention by announcing on the 8th that it will support a budget of 1 billion KRW from next year for egg freezing procedures, the first nationwide initiative to address population decline. The city plans to support up to 2 million KRW per procedure for 500 women aged 20 to 40 each year.