Gerçek AYDIN, Aziz İhsan TAVUZ, Hayal Uzelli ŞİMŞEK, Serap SİMAVLI, Emek DOĞER
Anatolian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Research - 2026;3(2):79-85
Purpose: To analyse the utilization patterns, patient characteristics, and reproductive outcomes of oocyte cryopreservation (OC) performed under the current fertility preservation (FP) framework in Turkey. Methods: This retrospective multicenter cohort study analyzed data from Ministry of Health-accredited FP programs across Turkey between 2005 and 2026. The study included women who underwent OC for approved medical indications, predominantly diminished ovarian reserve and FP before gonadotoxic treatment. Primary outcomes were oocyte utilization rates and reproductive outcomes among women who returned to use their cryopreserved oocytes. Secondary outcomes included socio-demographic profiling and cycle-level characteristics. Results: A total of 1,582 women were included. Mean age at cryopreservation was 33.5+/-7.2 years. Most women underwent OC for diminished ovarian reserve (92.3%), while 7.6% underwent FP before treatment for malignant disease. Most participants were university-educated (63.9%) and employed (65.7%), with obstetrics and gynecology specialists being the primary source of awareness (53.3%). Mean anti-Müllerian hormone was 0.6+/-0.6 ng/mL, and a mean of 3.6+/-3.0 mature oocytes were cryopreserved per cycle. During the observation period, only 39 women (2.4%) returned to utilize their cryopreserved oocytes. Among thaw cycles, the clinical pregnancy rate per transfer was 15.6%, and the implantation rate was 12.7%. Conclusion: In this large multicenter cohort, OC was predominantly performed in women with diminished ovarian reserve, resulting in relatively limited oocyte yield and low observed utilization during the available follow-up period. These findings provide real-world data on the characteristics, utilization patterns, and reproductive outcomes of FP programs in Turkey and may help inform future clinical practice and policy discussions.
