OOCYTE CRYOPRESERVATION AND THE RELATED LEGISLATION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Abstract

In the contemporary world, where women are competing with men in all spheres of life, gone are the days when the only purpose in life for a woman was to procreate; today, they want to be successful in their professional life while balancing it with their personal life. Today’s career oriented women tend to postpone pregnancy to a later date which leads to age-related germ cell deterioration, and hence infertility which is where the concept of Oocyte Cryopreservation comes into the picture. Human Oocyte Cryopreservation is a procedure to preserve oocytes which can later be thawed, fertilized, and then, implanted as embryos in the uterus. Apart from the cost, major hindrances to the widespread acceptance of the technique are potential medicolegal issues that may arise with its wider acceptance like the non-medical use of oocyte cryopreservation, safety and efficiency of the procedure, and the marketing practices. The ART (Regulation)Act of 2021 and the Surrogacy (Regulation)Act of 2021 intend to regulate and systematize the field of Artificial Reproductive technology but they fail to address some major aspects related to oocyte cryopreservation. Hence, independent and comprehensive legislation is required to address —the safety of the procedure, efficacy of the procedure, health and welfare of the future generation, social advantage, and uniform availability of the procedure across all strata of the society. This article is an attempt to discuss the procedure involved in Oocyte Cryopreservation, the reasons for opting for it, the ideal age for undergoing it, and the legislation governing it in India and the world.