Elective Egg Freezing in Canada: Developing a Framework for Consent Documents

The use of elective egg freezing (EEF) has rapidly increased in recent years. Despite its popularity, scholars have documented a host of concerns in relation to the use of this technology, especially given aggressive advertising of EEF by the fertility industry as “insurance” and lack of data about success rates. Informed consent processes, and informed consent documents, are particularly important in situations, like EEF, where healthy people are undergoing interventions that are neither life nor health preserving. They are also crucial to ensure that people considering EEF are provided with direct unbiased information about the risks of engaging. In this paper, we build on the existing literature that has examined the unique concerns associated with EEF and crucial elements of consent for egg freezing, as well as similar interventions. Drawing from these sources, and focusing on the Canadian context, we identify seven elements that, at minimum, should be contained in consent documents for EEF to meet ethical standards of disclosure.