In an effort to implement more measures in the country's population policy, China's Ministry of Health has declared a ban on the use of egg-freezing technology to preserve female fertility.
In its announcement, the government body stated that women are not allowed to utilize assisted reproductive technology, unless they can prove at least one partner in the relationship is encountering fertility problems. In addition to the requirement, couples must submit a marriage certificate, birth permit and valid identity cards.
According to Lin Ge, deputy head of the Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of Citic-Xiangya, the use of the method began in the 1990s and is usually used in conjunction with in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Lin clarified that egg freezing does not involve the process of IVF and, therefore, it cannot be categorized as a form of assisted reproductive technology.
The announcement of the ban comes after the country reconfigured its one-child policy to allow for a second child for families on the condition that each parent must be a single child.
The policy is essentially a selective second-child policy and the adjustment further adds to the dramatic change of China's population structure.
Beijing is cautiously assessing and monitoring the efficacy of the change after implementing it for over a year.
According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) last July 10, 16.9 million and 470,000 births were recorded in 2014 and 2013, respectively, signifying the policy's effect.
Discussions within the NHFPC and other government agencies regarding the feasibility of allowing for a second child in Chinese households are already underway.