Azoospermia
12/22/2015 06:51:00 PM
Male factor is one of the important issues in the infertility. Azoospermia is one of the tricky things in the male infertility. If a problem occurred in the procedure of spermatogenesis (sperm production) or sperm transport, it results in azoospermia, which means no sperms found in the ejaculated semen.
It is not an option, but a necessity — 10 frozen eggs
12/07/2015 01:36:00 AMWhat is the perfect life? Education degree? Successful career?
Making lots of money? Or happy family?
If someone could have all of them, she may be the winner in life.
In the real world, nothing is completely perfect, but these goals in life could be achieved after overcoming several setbacks and discouragements.
Ms. Hung came to the iCryobank for Social Oocytes Freezing when she was 42. She was definitely a typical winner among the peers. From senior high to college, she always studied at the top schools and got the top credits. After finishing the education in Taiwan, she went to U.S. for her PhD degree, and then received an offer at an international corporation. Since she was so talented and outgoing, she became the chief executive officer of Asian branch pretty soon.
How about the fertility capacity of frozen eggs?
11/20/2015 01:47:00 AMBefore we decide to cryopreserve our own eggs for the future use,
we must think about the impact of freezing.
According to many scientific articles, the risk of egg freezing is related to the maternal age, not the procedure itself. The findings are concordant to the report released by Stork Fertility Center in newest annual meeting of Taiwan Society of Reproductive Medicine.
How long can my eggs remain frozen?
11/11/2015 12:48:00 AMAfter I have made up my mind to do egg freezing, what information I should know about this technique?
1. Longer the storage is, lower the success rate of thawing egg is?
At Stork Fertility Center, the mature eggs (MII stage) would be vitrified and then stored in the liquid nitrogen, which performs a -196℃ circumstance to stop biological activity in the cells. The previous scientific reports showed that no significant relations exist between long-term storage and quality of thawing eggs based on the stable circumstance and reliable freezing/thawing techniques. — a record-breaking case can be seen here: Monica Zapotoczny
2. If the techniques are workable, how long can I store my eggs?
According to the Taiwan Assisted Human Reproduction Act, there is no time limit to the autologous egg freezing. However, the donated eggs (or sperms) should be used in 10 years. The fresh and frozen eggs displayed similar clinical outcomes, so the storage time is just depended on the individual schedules.
3. If I am menopausal, can I use the donors' frozen eggs?
The uterine status and menstrual cycles can be regulated by the external hormones. Thus the success rate of thawing eggs is related to the maternal age of the donated egg rather than the age of the egg recipient — An oocyte recipient at the Stork Fertility Center got healthy twins by using the donors' eggs, and she was already 62 years old!
This is the real settling down
10/29/2015 02:42:00 AMI am perhaps affected by my original family, and thus I always have a dream about owning my sweet home. In this dream, I have a dearest husband, two adorable angels, and a cozy house. When I went out alone every weekend, I saw so many pictures on the street—young couples with their baby strollers. These were the most beautiful scenes in my mind.
How to do the injections for ovarian stimulation
10/19/2015 06:25:00 PM
I
am not nurse. How can I do the injections for myself?
The
automatic injection pen is wildly used. You just need to remember four steps—
1. Load the
medicine cartridge
2. Check the
prescribed dose
3. Place the
needle on the pen
4. Inject
the medicine
More
details about the injections are as follows,
A. Puregon
(MSD): see the animation of manual injection
It is one
kind of short-acting recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (rFSH), and is mostly injected daily.
B.
Gonal-f(Merch): see the animation of manual injection
It is one
kind of short-acting rFSH, and is mostly injected daily.
C.
Elonva(MSD) : see the animation of manual injection
It is one kind of long-acting rFSH, and it supports multi-follicle growth up to seven days.
It is one kind of short-acting recombinant luteinizing hormone (rLH), and is used in the
patients with lower serum LH levels.
E.
Cetrotide (0.25mg): see the animation of manual injection
It
is a short-acting GnRH antagonist, and is used in the patients with higher
serum LH levels to prevent premature LH surge.
Common Genetic Variant Linked to IVF Failure
10/15/2015 08:36:00 PMOriginal source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/852455
Neil Osterweil
October 09, 2015
A genetic variant commonly found in women is strongly associated with chromosomal abnormalities that can lead to the failure of in vitro fertilization (IVF), investigators report.
Q&A of Egg Freezing
10/01/2015 09:02:00 PM
l Q and A:
1.
Do I have enough eggs to cyropreserve?
A. The amount of female oocytes is decreasing with the
maternal age. The cut-off value of the decline rate is around the age
35: the rate is comparative faster in the women over 35 than those under 35. AMH is a stable and
representative predictor: higher the level is, more the oocytes are.
2.
Will the controlled ovarian stimulation affect my own ovarian function?
A. The components of stimulation medication are
recombinant gonadotropins, which play the similar roles of external hormones to
support multiple follicle growth. If no medications were used, the external
hormone can only support a single follicle growth, called as the dominant
follicle, and the other subordinate follicles (15-20 varied with the
age) will degenerate in this menstrual cycle.
3.
Will the stimulation medication push me toward the menapause faster?
A. Since the medications just rescue the subordinate
follicles to become dominant, no additional stock are triggered. So the answer
is "no."
4.
Is it painful to get the injection?
A. Most injections are subcutaneous, and the injection
site are at lower hip or lower abdomen, where are not hypersensitive.
5.
Is the retrieval operation difficult?
A. Since the
introduction of sonographically guided viginal oocyte retrieval, the
double-lumen needle can go through the route without penetrating the
hypersensitive areas, and the diameter of needle is greatly reduced. The
anesthesia is recommended in the nervous cases.
Freeze My Eggs — iCryobank
9/14/2015 03:00:00 AM
When can I
meet my Mr. Right?
When can I have my own family?
When can I have my babies?
Except waiting for the one, what can I do now?
Oocyte cryopreservation - the best way
to preserve your fertility.
When can I have my own family?
When can I have my babies?
Except waiting for the one, what can I do now?
Oocyte cryopreservation - the best way to preserve your fertility.
Oocyte cryopreservation
9/13/2015 07:56:00 PMOverview:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/09/freeze-my-eggsicryo-bank.html
Procedure:
Taiwan: http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/10/the-procedure-of-egg-freezing-taiwan.html
Taipei: http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/10/the-procedure-of-egg-freezing-taipei.html
Overseas: http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/10/the-procedure-of-egg-freezing-overseas.html
Stimulation:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/10/how-to-do-injections-for-ovarian.html
Storage time:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/11/how-long-can-my-eggs-remain-frozen.html
Fertility capacity:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/11/what-is-fertility-capacity-of-frozen.html
Are you afraid of testicular sperm extraction (TESE)?
9/02/2015 08:14:00 PMBefore starting the IVF program, the diagnostic microdissection testicular sperm extraction can improve the success rate of surgical sperm extraction on the oocyte retrieval day. It would be a great news in the couples with azoospermia.
Seek the bliss - a friend from Urumqi, Xinjiang
8/26/2015 08:58:00 PM
We finally got pregnant, with not just one but two babies.
It was the destination of this 4500k-journey, and these were the best souvenirs from Taiwan.
"Urumqi," is a city completely land-locked in Xinjiang county, China.
It was called as Dihua in the past.
I has known of this place only in the textbook during the junior high school. This city is a long way from Taiwan, and the distance is almost 4500k.
If you feel very far from the target of having a baby as well, would you choose to cross this distance to take the IVF program in Taiwan just like her?
She visited us when she was 42, and has married for nearly 20 years. It supposed to be a three- or four- member family, but the truth was that she never got any good news after having ectopic pregnancy twice. As years went by, she was obliged to throw herself to the assisted reproduction for aid. No matter how hard she had tried, including both the IVF and herbal medicines, she could not get pregnant. After four IVF cycles at the most popular fertility centers in mainland China, she still had no ideas about the solution. Even worse, she quickly turned to 40.
One day in a family gathering, she met a cousin, Debby, who married a Taiwanese guy. Debby had the same situation with hers, but she eventually got a baby girl by the assisted reproductive techniques in Taiwan. She was surprised by Debby's experience, but the long distance between Xinjiang and Taiwan discouraged her to take a chance.
Nearly half a year later, she finally made up her mind to visit this far, faraway place. Before this time, she remained skeptical about the differences of IVF performances between Taiwan and mainland China. "The Stork Fertility Center looks like a museum," she said, "but it is not that cold and distant."
When she knew that the AMH value was only 0.27 ng/ml, she shed her tears directly in front of the doctor. The advanced age was not like fine wine, but bitter vinegar. "Is it impossible to be a mother?" she asked. The doctor checked her antral follicle count again, and then encouraged her to take the donation program after analyzing her condition.
She made the decision and received 11 eggs from the donor, and 9 were successfully fertilized, and 6 grew into the blastocyst stage. She also checked the chromosome status by PGS exam, and luckily, all the embryos were normal.
However, the pregnancy test after first transfer was negative. The doctor reviewed her history, and decided to recheck her fallopian tubes. Unsurprisingly, the result of hysterosalpingogram (HSG) showed that her left tube was distally blocked, and thus she needed laparoscopic operation to close the tube (tubal ligation). Then she did the embryo transfer again after recovering from surgery.
The pregnancy test was positive this time. The detection of fetal heartbeat showed that there were not only one but two babies in her womb. This was a wonderful ending of this 4500k journey to her, from Urumqi to Taiwan. She finally unloaded the heavy burdens, and greet the new life—a life in a four-member family!
It is popular to donate the eggs during summer vacation
8/18/2015 06:21:00 PMIn Taiwan, the compensation fee for egg donors is NTD 99,000 (USD 3,056). By this considerable compensation fee, some donors were able to join the study-tour, travel abroad, or open their own stores.
According to the local news, the egg donation became more popular in the young females recently. Due to the network convenience, more and more people got the information of egg donation easily, and the enrollment is to double during the summer vacation. Amy just completed her donation program, and she immediately recommended the program to her twin sister. She believed that the donated eggs could help the infertile couple to have their own babies. In this program, she has not only checked her physical status, especially the ovarian function, but also got more understandings to the IVF.
However, the risk of egg donation must be concerned before starting the program. The ovarian hyperstiumulation syndrome (OHSS) is most common in the young females undergoing the controlled ovarian stimulation (COS). An experienced specialist, a stable system of follow-up care, and a reputable fertility center are prior consideration to donate your eggs.
How to avoid the ovarian hyperstimulation?
1. Use GnRH anagonist as the trigger, such as Decapetyl
2. Drink lots of water to dilute the hormone in the body (>2000 ml per day)
3. Take more rest and no strenuous exercise
4. Low-salt and high-protein eating plan
5. Contact with the center whenever you feel uncomfortable
6. Follow-up exams at the center (CBC, ultrasound...)
⬛ Know more about Taiwan egg donation (Chinese Version)
⬛ Want to enroll?
⬛ Share your experiences on Facebook
Call for consultants at +886-3-573-3355 ex. 1523/1522
⬛ Know more about Taiwan egg donation (Chinese Version)
⬛ Want to enroll?
⬛ Share your experiences on Facebook
Call for consultants at +886-3-573-3355 ex. 1523/1522
The secrets of pregnancy
8/07/2015 01:02:00 AMSperm is the smallest cell in human body, and oocyte is the biggest cell.
Sperm:
length of head=5~6μm
width of head=2.5~3.5μm
length of neck=1.5x of head length
length of tail=45μm
length of sperm cell=55~60μm
Oocyte:
diameter of oocyte(includes zona)=150μm
volume of oocyte=180x of sperm
Give thanks in all circumstances (Egg donation)
8/03/2015 12:41:00 AMShe is a 3S woman and fortunately met the Mr.Right in her forties. Her appearance is still young and beautiful, but the ovaries is becoming to decline
The 3S women are both intelligent and independent. They bravely pursue for excellent success in their career and professions, but always forget to think about their marriage.-(Single、Seventies [born in the 1970s]、Stuck)
I married to a Japanese when I was 42 years old. My husband really likes kids and we hope that we could have a baby as soon as possible. But the problem is my age and irregular menses. When the doctor said that my AMH is only 0.16 ng/mL, which is approximate to the value in the menapause period, I started tearing up. Then I went home and tried to calm myself down.In the next few days, I did so much online works, trying to figure out this problem. I suddenly found that egg donation is the only solution. However, egg donation was illegal in Japan, and thus I turned back to search for this service in my home country, Taiwan. I selected five popular fertility centers in Taiwan and made appointments for all of them. During the long vacation in Japan, I went back to Taiwan to "interview" all the candidates.
Eventually, I was impressed by Stork fertility center and made the decision after discussing with my husband. He came to cryopreserve the semen sample and also was surprised by the museum-like circumstances. He really appreciated that Taiwanese government provides the donation service and expected Japanese government to reconsider this necessity.
We didn't wait our donor for a long time. When I was suffering with my menopausal symptoms, my donor finished her donation program already. We were really grateful to hear that this lovely girl gave us eight embryos with wonderful appearances, frozen in the liquid nitrogen. My thoughtful agent and specialist instructed me step by step, including the exams for fallopian tubes and uterus. We hope that the precious embryo could implant into a cozy environment.
One of the advantages of freezing-embryo was that I could came back to Taiwan when I was totally free from my business. Probably because of the well preparation, I got my positive pregnancy test after the first cryotransfer. In this October, our little baby is coming to join this family, and I am going to celebrate my 44-year birthday as well.
We are lucky to have our own baby that soon. I strongly encourage those women who have a similar ovarian reserve result with mine to be open-minded to egg donation, and then you would enjoy being a mother soon.
Legislation for mitochondrial donation approved in UK (Focus on Reproduction, 2015 ESHRE, Lisbon)
7/27/2015 02:18:00 AMOriginal source: Focus on reproduction ESHRE 2015 May, p17
Legislation to allow clinical trials of mitochondrial donation in couples know to be at high risk of passing on mitochondrial diseases to their children have been approved in the UK. (BBC New: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-31594856 ) The move follows votes in the UK's lower and upper Parliaments (the House of Commons and House of Lords) and means that the first trials could begin towards the end of this year. The trials are likely to be at the Wellcome Trust Center for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University, under the direction of Professor Doug Turnbull, which would need to apply for a research license from the HFEA, the UK/s regulatory authority. Professor Mary Herbert from the Newcastle group will review the tecniques of mitochondrial donation and replacement during the main programme of ESHRE's Annual Meeting in Lisbon (ESHRE 14th-17th, June, 2015).
Lab touring - Embryo biopsy (pipet shearing)
7/22/2015 02:39:00 AM
Video one:
Video two:
Biopsy is extremely crucial technique in IVF-PGS cycles. In Stork fertility center, for example, one in twenty to twenty-one biopsied samples may fail to be amplified. The videos showed one of the biopsy techniques — pipet shearing. In this kind of manipulation, both biopsied cell amount and quality are of the essences.
The biopsied sample in video one resulted in amplification failure, and the cells seemed degenerated yet. In contrast, biopsied sample in video two resulted in successful amplification.
Lab Touring - PGS, Preimplantation Genetic Screening by next-generation sequencig (NGS)
7/13/2015 01:27:00 AM
The geneticist is operating the NGS platform at Stork Fertility Center.
The traditional prenatal examinations include chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis. However, the induction would be required if either CVS or amniocentesis revealed significant chromosomal abnormalities, and it becomes psychological stress. Perimplantation Genetic Screening(PGS)is an advanced technology, combining IVF and cell molecular biology, taking the third day embryo (about 6-10 cells now) or the 5th day blastocyst cell for chromosome analysis. The widely used analysis platform is based on array comprehensive hybridization (aCGH), but the recent researches reported that the next-generation sequencing platform performs better resolution and sensitivity. In addition, the low-rate aneuploidy is displayed more clearly in the NGS than in the aCGH.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Market (Test Type - PGD for Chromosomal Aberrations, Aneuploidy Screening, Gender Selection, Single Gene Disorders, HLA Typing & X-linked Diseases)
6/17/2015 06:49:00 PMSince the last two decades, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has been used to detect chromosomal aneuploidy in low prognosis patients who undergo in-vitro fertilization (IVF). PGD is now being used to detect a broader range of indications due to advancements in the medical technology. These indications include chromosomal aberrations, genetic abnormalities, gender selection, HLA typing, X-linked diseases and single gene diseases. Demand for PGD is continuously increasing in patients who undergo IVF in the hope that it would improve the probability of live birth and reduce the chances of disabilities and genetic disorders in the offspring.
This report provides in-depth analysis of the preimplantation genetic diagnosis market and its test types across various regions. Stakeholders in the report include diagnostic laboratories that provide PGD services, companies involved in the production of diagnosis kits and sequencers for PGD, and prospective market players planning to enter the market. The report comprises executive summary, which offers a market snapshot that covers the overall information about various types of tests in the PGD market.
The market overview section explains market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities that influence the current and future status of the preimplantation genetic diagnosis market. Impact factors such as market attractiveness analysis and regulatory framework of PGD in various countries has been included in this section in order to provide a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario of the global preimplantation genetic diagnosis market. The report covers competitive analysis, which includes heat map analysis by key market players. Through heat map analysis, the stakeholder would be able to identify the presence of players across various segments of the market. All these factors would help market players gain a thorough understanding of the overall competitive scenario. The market players can then decide upon the business strategies and plans to be implemented in order to strengthen their position in the global market.
The global preimplantation genetic diagnosis market has been differentiated based on the types of tests and geographies. Based on the types of tests, the global preimplantation genetic diagnosis market has been segmented into six categories: PGD for chromosomal aberrations, aneuploidy screening, X-linked diseases, single gene disorder, HLA typing and gender selection. A detailed market analysis of the segments mentioned above has been provided at the global level in this study. The market analysis is based on market size and forecast in terms of USD million for the period 2013 to 2020 along with the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR %) for the period 2014 to 2020, considering 2013 as the base year.
Geographically, the global preimplantation genetic diagnosis market has been categorized into four regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). This section further provides market size and forecast for various types of PFD tests in each region. The market size and forecast of the regional markets is provided for the period 2012 to 2020. CAGR (%) for each region is also estimated for the period 2014 to 2020, considering 2013 as the base year. The report also includes strategic recommendations, which would help market players sustain and grow in the highly competitive market. These recommendations would also help new entrants establish a strong position in the global preimplantation genetic diagnosis market.
Company profiles section comprises key information such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies and recent developments about major players operating in the preimplantation genetic diagnosis market. Key players profiled in the report include Genesis Genetics, Genea Ltd., Illumina, Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Natera, Inc., PerkinElmer, Inc., Quest Diagnostics, Inc., Reprogenetics LLC and Reproductive Genetics Institute.
The global preimplantation genetic diagnosis market is segmented into the following categories:Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Market, by Test Type
PGD for Chromosomal Aberrations
PGD for Aneuploidy Screening
PGD for Gender Selection
PGD for Single Gene Disorder
PDG for HLA Typing
PGD for X-linked Diseases
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Market, by Geography
North America
PGD for Chromosomal Aberrations
PGD for Aneuploidy Screening
PGD for Gender Selection
PGD for Single Gene Disorder
PDG for HLA Typing
PGD for X-linked Diseases
Europe
PGD for Chromosomal Aberration
PGD for Aneuploidy Screening
PGD for Gender Selection
PGD for Single Gene Disorder
PDG for HLA Typing
PGD for X-linked Diseases
Asia Pacific
PGD for Chromosomal Aberrations
PGD for Aneuploidy Screening
PGD for Gender Selection
PGD for Single Gene Disorder
PDG for HLA Typing
PGD for X-linked Diseases
Rest of the World (RoW)
PGD for Chromosomal Aberrations
PGD for Aneuploidy Screenin
PGD for Gender Selection
PGD for Single Gene Disorder
PDG for HLA Typing
PGD for X-linked Diseases
Original source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/preimplantation-genetic-diagnosis-market-test-type---pgd-for-chromosomal-aberrations-aneuploidy-screening-gender-selection-single-gene-disorders-hla-typing-x-linked-diseases---global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-forecast-2014-2015-06-16
IVF in Stork Fertility Center
6/01/2015 07:20:00 PM
The cherry tree and iART building
The initial interview:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/p/ivf_24.html
Individualized COS for Stimulation:
Manual Injection:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/10/how-to-do-injections-for-ovarian.html
Procedure:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2014/11/individual-program-design-step-1.html
Long-acting rFSH:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2014/04/assessment-of-corifollitropin-alfa-for.html
Advanced ART techniques:
MESA/TESE:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/09/are-you-afraid-of-testicular-sperm.html
ICSI:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2014/01/should-i-use-intracytoplasmic-sperm.html
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2013/11/sperm-recipient-program-procedure.html
Embryo culture:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2010/02/lab-touring-personal-incubator.html
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2013/08/experience-of-blastocyst-culture-in-dry.html
Reproductive genetics:
PGS: (for chromosomal aneuploidy screening)
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2014/01/to-make-choosing-embryo-easier-array.html
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2015/07/lab-touring-pgs-preimplantation-genetic.html
PGD: (for genetic disease diagnosis)
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2010/02/lab-touring-pgd-preimplantation-genetic.html
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2013/08/first-successful-pregnancy-after.html
Personalized embryo transfer:
ERA: (for repeated failure caused by endometrium asynchrony)
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2017/02/endometrial-receptivity-array-era.html
AHA:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2010/02/lab-touring-assisted-hatching.html
FER:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2010/02/lab-touring-vitrification.html
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2013/08/comparison-of-obstetric-outcome-between.html
Embryo transfer:
http://taiwanivfsfc.blogspot.tw/2010/02/lab-touring-embryo-glue.html
Sheryl Sandberg Explains Why Facebook Covers Egg-Freezing
4/27/2015 07:47:00 PM
Original Article: http://time.com/3835233/sheryl-sandberg-explains-why-facebook-covers-egg-freezing/
Sheryl Sandberg:
She is an American technology executive, activist, and author. She is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. In June 2012, she was elected to the board of directors by the existing board members becoming the first woman to serve on Facebook's board. Before Facebook, Sandberg was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, and was involved in launching Google's philanthropic arm Google.org. Before Google, Sandberg served as chief of staff for the United States Secretary of the Treasury.
In 2012 she was named in the Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world according to Time magazine. As of January 2014, Sandberg is reported to be worth over US$1 billion, due to her stock holdings in Facebook and other companies.
by Charlotte Alter
"I talked about it with our head of HR, and said, 'God we should cover this'"
A Facebook employee with cancer inspired COO Sheryl Sandberg to create the company’s controversial egg-freezing policy, Sandberg said in an interview released Friday.
In a Bloomberg Television interview with Emily Chang, Sandberg explained the genesis of the policy that gives employees money to get their eggs frozen in order to delay childbirth.
“There’s a young woman working at Facebook who had got cancer, and I knew her and she came to me and said, ‘I’m going to go through the treatment, and that means I won’t be able to have children unless I can freeze my eggs, and I can’t afford it, but our medical care doesn’t cover it,'” Sandberg explained. “I talked about it with our head of HR, and said, ‘God we should cover this.’ And then we looked at each other and said, ‘Why would we only cover this for women with cancer, why wouldn’t we cover this more broadly?'”
Egg-freezing has been widely used to help women with cancer preserve their fertility after chemotherapy, but it’s increasingly being used by women who want to delay motherhood for non-medical reasons, like if they haven’t found the right partner or they want to focus on work. When Facebook and Apple announced in November that they would cover elective egg-freezing for their employees, some critics attacked the policies, saying the companies were essentially encouraging women to delay motherhood until it’s convenient for the company.
Virgin CEO Richard Branson doesn’t agree. “We at Virgin want to steal the idea and offer it to our women,” he told Bloomberg in the same interview. “Somebody said to me they got criticism…and I said, ‘How can anybody criticize them for doing that? It’s women’s choice.”
He has a personal reason for supporting egg-freezing policies. “My daughter just had two wonderful twins from eggs, and they wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the eggs,” he said.
"I talked about it with our head of HR, and said, 'God we should cover this'"
A Facebook employee with cancer inspired COO Sheryl Sandberg to create the company’s controversial egg-freezing policy, Sandberg said in an interview released Friday.
In a Bloomberg Television interview with Emily Chang, Sandberg explained the genesis of the policy that gives employees money to get their eggs frozen in order to delay childbirth.
“There’s a young woman working at Facebook who had got cancer, and I knew her and she came to me and said, ‘I’m going to go through the treatment, and that means I won’t be able to have children unless I can freeze my eggs, and I can’t afford it, but our medical care doesn’t cover it,'” Sandberg explained. “I talked about it with our head of HR, and said, ‘God we should cover this.’ And then we looked at each other and said, ‘Why would we only cover this for women with cancer, why wouldn’t we cover this more broadly?'”
Virgin CEO Richard Branson doesn’t agree. “We at Virgin want to steal the idea and offer it to our women,” he told Bloomberg in the same interview. “Somebody said to me they got criticism…and I said, ‘How can anybody criticize them for doing that? It’s women’s choice.”
He has a personal reason for supporting egg-freezing policies. “My daughter just had two wonderful twins from eggs, and they wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the eggs,” he said.
She is an American technology executive, activist, and author. She is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. In June 2012, she was elected to the board of directors by the existing board members becoming the first woman to serve on Facebook's board. Before Facebook, Sandberg was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, and was involved in launching Google's philanthropic arm Google.org. Before Google, Sandberg served as chief of staff for the United States Secretary of the Treasury.
In 2012 she was named in the Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world according to Time magazine. As of January 2014, Sandberg is reported to be worth over US$1 billion, due to her stock holdings in Facebook and other companies.