The Globe and Mail: "How technology is empowering women to take control of their fertility"

Claire Jones, associate professor in the department and a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist at Mount Sinai Fertility, spoke to the Globe and Mail about the advances in egg freezing for an article on technological advances in fertility.

Jones, who started an elective egg freezing program in 2016, has seen the procedure become more “patient-friendly” over the years.

In the past, egg freezing was considered experimental because eggs were frozen slowly and tended to develop ice crystals that lowered the chance of surviving the process. It was reserved for women who were facing a reduction in the quality or quantity of their eggs, whether because of cancer treatment or other medical procedures.

A new, rapid-cooling technique called vitrification improved the survival rate of the eggs significantly, shifting egg freezing into a non-experimental category in 2012. Since then there has been a boom in “social egg freezing,” where women who wish to delay childbearing can preserve their eggs when they are most fertile.

According to the Canadian Assisted Reproductive Technologies Register, 2,580 egg freezing cycles were performed in Canada in 2024, a 90-per-cent increase from just 189 cycles in 2013.

“Women have an option to help preserve an element of their younger selves for the future,” says Jones.

Jones mentions a new ovarian tissue cryopreservation program at Mount Sinai Fertility that is focused on girls who are not yet ovulating but are scheduled to undergo cancer treatment.

Other technological advances, including DIY testing and sophisticated tracking apps, are also helping give women better insight into their fertility.