The first nationwide website survey of the availability and costs of medical and non-medical oocyte cryopreservation in Japan
Hiromitsu Shirasawa,
Yukiyo Kumazawa,
Wataru Sato,
Takuya Iwasawa,
Kazue Togashi,
Natsuki Ono,
Ayaka Fujishima,
Kazumasa Takahashi,
Eri Maeda,
Yukihiro Terada
Affiliations
Hiromitsu Shirasawa
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan; Corresponding author. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita, 10-0825, Japan.
Yukiyo Kumazawa
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan
Wataru Sato
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan
Takuya Iwasawa
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan
Kazue Togashi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan
Natsuki Ono
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan
Ayaka Fujishima
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan
Kazumasa Takahashi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan
Eri Maeda
Department of Environmental Health Science and Public Health, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan
Yukihiro Terada
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan, Hondo 1-1-1, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, 10-0825, Japan
Research question: How does the cost-related oocyte cryopreservation (OoC) vary by the facility in Japan, and what data is provided on the websites about OoC procedures? Design: Website survey. The websites of all 621 facilities that provide assistive reproductive technology registered in Japan were surveyed in 2021. Data included the rates of explicit statements regarding the provision of OoC for only medical reasons (medical only group) or non-medical reasons (non-medical group). Based on whether or not facilities that perform OoC clearly stated the cost on their websites, we compared the costs of OoC and annual storage cost between medical only and non-medical groups. Furthermore, we examined the stated number of OoC procedures performed and their clinical outcomes. Results: Of the 621 facilities, 146 (23.5%) clearly stated that they offer OoC on their websites. Of the 88 medical only groups and 58 non-medical groups, 24 (27.3%) and 42 (72.4%) clearly stated the OoC cost, and 27 (30.7%) and 44 (75.9%) clearly states the annual oocyte storage cost, respectively. The OoC costs were significantly higher for the non-medical group than in the medical group. In the medical only group, the annual storage cost remained almost the same regardless of the number of oocytes, while in the non-medical group, the annual storage cost was 2–3 times higher than in the medical only group. Only 16 facilities (16/146, 11.0%) had mentioned the number of OoC procedures, and five facilities (3.4%) provided information on the clinical outcomes after OoC. Conclusion: Costs related to OoC are higher for the non-medical group in Japan. In addition, the websites contain scant information on the costs and clinical outcomes of OoC.
