JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):106
Poster Presentation
29^th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263722

P-94. Family planning and knowledge of Brazilian medical students and resident doctors about social oocyte cryopreservation

Pedro Teodoro Carlstron¹, Mariana Schmidt Vieira¹, Renata Cristina de Carvalho¹, Renato Fraietta¹

¹ UNIFESP - São Paulo - SP - Brasil

Objective: According to data from the latest medical demographics, the proportion of women in medical courses and consequently in medical residencies has been increasing annually. Considering the time of training and career building, female doctors tend to postpone motherhood in favor of professional success, becoming potential candidates for assisted reproduction techniques. Furthermore, they play a role in guiding their patients, friends, and family in the process of oocyte cryopreservation. Therefore, this study's primary objective was to evaluate the knowledge of Brazilian medical students and resident doctors about social oocyte cryopreservation. The secondary objective was to understand the family planning of Brazilian medical students and resident doctors.
Methods: Were included in the study, female participants of Brazilian nationality, aged 18 or older, who had no living children and who were studying medicine or were part of a medical residency program. Participants who did not meet the inclusion criteria and who did not agree with the Free and Informed Consent Form for Research in Virtual Environments were excluded from the study. The selected participants answered a self-administered online questionnaire with questions divided into three groups: demographic characteristics, family planning, and knowledge about fertility and social oocyte cryopreservation.
Results: Were received 95 responses to the questionnaire, of which 85 were included in the study. Among the participants, 58% were medical students. 82% of the interviewees declared themselves single. Among the resident doctors, 45% were studying Gynecology and Obstetrics. 80% of the participants answered that they had contact with content related to assisted reproduction in their undergraduate or medical residency. 87% of the participants intended to have children, biological or not, and 11% were still undecided. 90% would postpone pregnancy, with the main reasons being professional training or career (95%), financial reasons (74%), and lack of a partner (34%). The average age for planning the first child was 32 years old. Only 3% of the participants had already frozen eggs or embryos. Among the main reasons for not freezing eggs are cost (57%) and not judging it necessary at the moment (25%). The average age for seeking egg freezing would be 29 years old. When asked about the age at which the most significant drop in female fertility occurs, 58% answered between 36 and 39 years old. 50% believed that most eggs would not survive the thawing process, and 45% believed that there was a maximum time limit that these eggs could remain frozen. Of the participants, 43% were unaware of the possibility of shared egg donation programs. 92% of the interviewees answered that egg freezing should be discussed in routine gynecological consultations and 97% would like to have more information on the subject.
Conclusion: Despite most of the participating doctors being residents in Gynecology and Obstetrics, the research shows gaps in these women's knowledge of fertility preservation, which can make it difficult or delay access to specialized assisted reproduction services. The main doubts are related to the age to perform freezing, the safety of oocyte thawing, and shared donation. By knowing the demands and doubts of the participants, it is possible to outline better strategies for disseminating knowledge on the subject, and consequently facilitate access to oocyte cryopreservation.