Seoul expands support for egg freezing procedures for women in their 20s

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on February 14 that it will significantly ease the criteria for supporting egg freezing procedures for women in their 20s, more than doubling the number of subjects from the previous year.

Women aged 20 to 49 living in Seoul have been able to receive 50 percent of the cost of egg freezing treatment, up to a maximum of 2 million won per person since September last year. Women who have lived in Seoul for at least six months are eligible.

Last year, 219 women received support through the policy, which was introduced as one of the measures for low birth rate. Of these, 152 were in their 30s, followed by 49 in their 40s and 18 in their 20s. The reason why women in their 20s account for less than 10 percent of the total is that there is a standard that the level of Anti Mullerian Hormone (AMH) should be 1.5 ng/ml or less. Those in their 30s and 40s can receive the support regardless of the level.

An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government said, "Those in their 20s had relatively high Anti Mullerian Hormone levels, accounting for only 8.2 percent of the total 219 beneficiaries. In particular, there were cases where women who were diagnosed with a disease that could cause a decrease in ovarian function, such as chemotherapy, were unable to receive support because their current levels were higher than the standard. Therefore, we decided to increase the number of applicants because the cost of egg freezing procedure is expensive for people in their 20s.”

Starting this year, the standard for support for 20s will be eased to less than 3.5ng per 1ml. Even if a woman received the treatment after September last year, she can receive support for the procedure retroactively if she is identified as the subject. Seoul has also increased the number of people eligible for support this year to 650, up from 300 last year.

The Social Contribution Council of Insurance Companies plans to provide a total of 3 billion won in support for the procedure by 2026.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.