Recently, there have been increasing numbers of females who postpone marriage and childbirth until their thirties and forties, with an average age of 35 years old. It is thought that a woman’s fertility decline happens throughout the course of her lifetime, starting in her early 30s and becoming more pronounced by the age of 37. The reproductive capacity declines in a woman’s oocyte quantity and quality as she gets older, which has a big impact on her ability to conceive naturally and increases the risk of “involuntary childlessness” (El-Adham & Shaban, 2023; Lazzari et al., 2023).

According to the socio-demographic characteristics of the studied working females; the finding of the present study revealed that, related to the monthly income of the family, the current study presented that nearly half of the studied females had insufficient income from their point of view. This finding is in line with Araby et al. (2025), who implemented a recent study entitled “Effect of Nano-Educational Sessions on Awareness, Willingness, and Barriers toward Elective Oocyte Cryopreservation among Unmarried Females,” and El-Adham & Shaban (2023). They mentioned that nearly half of the studied females had insufficient income.

Regarding sources of information about OC, the study’s findings highlighted that social media and TV were the most common sources of background on OC it presents (35.3% and 14.1%), respectively. This finding is consistent with Mohamed et al. (2023), who studied the “Effect of Educational Program on Knowledge and Attitude of Female Students Regarding Oocyte Cryopreservation” and showed that the primary sources were the internet and television (30.8% and 31.1%), respectively.

As regard the studied working females’ knowledge regarding oocyte preservation through program phases: Firstly, females’ knowledge regarding OC showed a statistically significant improvement in all knowledge items following implementation of an educational program. The study’s finding revealed that half and more than two-fifths of the studied females correctly answered the meaning and types of OC, respectively, pre-program, which improved to the vast majority of them correctly answering these items post-program. On the contrary, the finding of the current study was inconsistent with Fahmy & Mohamed (2021), who conducted a study entitled “Knowledge, Attitude and Barriers of Unmarried Female Bridging Program Nurses Regarding Egg Freezing at South Valley University” and found that more than two-thirds of studied bridging program nursing students had inadequate knowledge about the meaning and indication of egg freezing.

The disagreement between the current study and the above-mentioned studies may be related to the fact that OC is still a new trend and most female students are unfamiliar with it. In addition, differences in educational level and occupation, while most of the current study sample were postgraduate staff members, motivate them to know new trends.

Concerning the age when female fertility starts to decline, the current study revealed that there is a rise in awareness of working females about the increasing age when a woman’s fertility dramatically declines; the majority of the studied females were aware of the age when female fertility starts to decline post-program compared to one-fifth of them pre-program.

This finding is congruent with a study conducted by Ikhena-Abel et al. (2017), in their study entitled “Is employer coverage of elective egg freezing coercive? a survey of medical students’ knowledge, intentions, and attitudes towards elective egg freezing and employer coverage,” and suggested that three-quarters of participants believed that fertility is dramatically decreased after 35 years.

Also, the study’s finding is aligned with Argyle et al. (2016), who carried out a study entitled “Oocyte Cryopreservation: Where Are We Now?” and discovered that the fertility drop accelerated after the age of 35 years. Moreover, another study conducted by Fotopoulou et al. (2015), entitled “Greek medical student’s knowledge and attitudes towards infertility and assisted reproductive technologies, revealed the majority of participants considered that the fertility of women begins to decline after 35 years.

Relating to the suitable age of OC, the finding of the current study suggested that less than one-quarter of the studied females correctly answered the suitable age of OC pre-program, which improved to about three-quarters of them correctly answering the suitable age of OC post-program. The finding of the study was consistent with Demir O et al.'s (2020) study entitled “Investigation of the Knowledge of Family Physicians Regarding Oocyte Cryopreservation” and revealed that three-quarters of the respondents recommended age of oocyte cryopreservation before 35 years.

In the same line, the study’s finding is in agreement with Wennberg’s (2020) study entitled “Social freezing of oocytes: a means to take control of your fertility,” which suggested that women consider egg freezing if they have not yet found a partner or are not planning a pregnancy when approaching the age of 35 years.

On the contrary, the finding of the current study is in contrast with Tozzo et al. (2019), who assessed “Understanding social oocyte freezing in Italy: a scoping survey on university female students’ awareness and attitudes” and showed that most respondents felt that they would consider egg freezing at the age of 26-30 years.

Also, the study’s finding is incongruent with Rudick et al.’s (2010) study entitled “The status of oocyte cryopreservation in the United States,” which declared that the majority of participants consider the age of oocyte freezing, 38-40 years, as acceptable.

From the researcher’s perspective, this disagreement might be due to the fact that most females do not make decisions before the age of 30, as they may not yet feel the pressure of their ticking biological clock and still have time to find a suitable partner. In addition, females who make the decision after the age of 35 may lead to reduced oocyte quality and a higher risk of genetic abnormalities.

Related to the longevity of OC, the result of the current study illustrated that the majority of the studied working females correctly answered the longevity of OC post-program compared to one-fifth of them correctly answering this item pre-program. This finding was supported by Blakemore et al. (2021), who evaluated the outcomes of planned OCs that returned to use them 10-15 years later.

Also, another study agreed with Ngan et al. (2025), who assessed “Planned oocyte cryopreservation in Hong Kong: a potential prototype for mainland China” and mentioned that Hong Kong’s current policy dictates a maximum storage period of 10 years or until the woman reaches 55 years.

According to the researcher’s point of view, this congruence may be attributed to the cautious approach regarding the longevity of OC, which is essential to ensure the safety and well-being of both mother and potential offspring and eliminate heightened risks of obstetric complications in elderly pregnant females. This includes an increased risk of operational delivery, PIH, GDM, and perinatal mortality.

The result of the current study indicated that hormonal therapy is commonly required for ovarian stimulation in most cases; the majority of the studied females correctly answered that hormonal therapy is required for induction as compared to one-quarter of them who correctly answered this item pre-program implementation. This finding is aligned with Miquel et al.'s (2023) study on 129 women who participated in the trial, which aimed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of ovarian stimulation, independent of the main condition and oocyte banking for fertility preservation after fertility-impairing treatments. This may be attributed to the purpose of ovarian stimulation prior to OC, which is to obtain an adequate number of mature oocytes in a single cycle to increase the likelihood of a live birth in the future.

This finding was unsupported by Sayegh et al.’s (2023) study entitled “Knowledge and attitude of reproductive-aged women towards planned oocyte cryopreservation in the United Arab Emirates” and suggested that more than half of the studied participants lack knowledge regarding the hormonal injection needed for ovulation. This disparity may be due to differences in sample age and education level; thus, older working females are more concerned about their fertility than young females.

In relation to the most common (standardized) method of cryopreservation, the finding of the current study showed that more than one-tenth of the studied females correctly answered the most common method of oocyte freezing pre-program, which improved to about three-quarters of them post-program implementation. This finding is in alignment with Abbass et al. (2023), who reported that less than one-third of the studied subjects probably identified vitrification as essential for ova cryopreservation before program implementation, which improved to almost all of them post-program.

Also, the study’s finding is supported by Nizharadze (2024), in a study entitled “Innovation in Oocyte Preservation Techniques,” which revealed that vitrification is the standard method of cryopreservation. From the researcher’s perspective, the finding of the current study was consistent with previous studies indicating that vitrification is more effective than slow freezing. This consistency may be attributed to the ability of vitrification to increase the life span of oocyte freezing, and it’s considered a standardized procedure.

Pertaining to the benefits of OC, the findings of the current study revealed the vast majority of the studied females identified benefits of OC post-program implementation compared to only half of them pre-program. This finding is in line with Tan et al. (2014), who studied “Social oocyte freezing: A survey among Singaporean female medical students” and suggested that Singaporean female students look favorably on oocyte cryopreservation to focus on their careers.

Also, the study’s finding is consistent with Lewis et al. (2016), who conducted a study entitled “Public Support in the United States for elective oocyte cryopreservation” and mentioned that the vast majority of women favored oocyte freezing if they would have cancer treatments affecting their reproductive life, and about three-quarters of them prefer oocyte freezing to postpone childbearing for career advancement.

According to the researcher's point of view, this agreement of the current study and the above-mentioned studies might be due to offering women flexibility in balancing their reproductive goals with their professional and personal aspirations.

Regarding Dar Al-Ifta’s statement permitting OC, the study’s finding declared that the majority of the studied females identified permission of Dar Al-Ifta’s statement of using OC as compared to more than one-quarter of them pre-program implementation. This finding came in agreement with a study in Egypt conducted by Abbass et al. (2023), who reported that more than one-third of the studies’ females correctly answered the permission of Dar-Al-Ifta for using the OC pre-program, which improved to almost all of them correctly answering this item post-program implementation.

Also, the study’s finding is supported by Eltelt (2021), who conducted a study entitled “Empowering Perspective: Assessing the Effect of an Instructional Program on Female Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Challenges Towards Egg Freezing” and revealed that the majority of the studied females agreed that religion is considered a barrier to EF pre-program, which decreased to less than one-third of them agreeing that religion is considered a barrier to EF post-program implementation.

From the researcher’s point of view, this agreement may be due to OC being allowed in Egypt according to a 2019 statement from Dar Al-Iftaa (Dar Al-Ifta, 2019), the country’s Islamic institution responsible for issuing religious edicts, permissible if four conditions are met: the frozen eggs are only to be used within the context of marriage using the husband’s sperm; they must be securely stored to avoid unintentional mixing with other frozen eggs; the egg should not be fertilized in another woman’s womb; and the procedure should not negatively affect or cause any birth defects to the embryo. 

The study reveals a significant correlation between sociodemographic traits and knowledge levels among working women, with marital status and age playing a significant role. Previously, less than 1% of 20-30-year-old single females had decent knowledge. This in line with Ashour et al. (2023) and Mohamed et al. (2023), who stated that older, single women's motivation to learn about OC and openness to new information may be related to their age, married status, and awareness level about OC.

The study found no significant correlation between female participants' occupation and educational attainment before and after a postgraduate program. However, postgraduate-educated female staff showed increased expertise, possibly due to advanced training and work experience. This conclusion is supported by previous studies by Ghazeeri et al. (2023). The study by El-Adham & Shaban (2023) found no significant correlation between monthly income and the improvement of females, suggesting that having money provides access to other information sources, thereby broadening their expertise.

Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that after program implementation, the studied female workers at Beni-Suef University had marked improvement in knowledge regarding oocyte cryopreservation.

Ø  Structured educational and counseling programs regarding oocyte cryopreservation should be provided by maternity nurses to females of reproductive age to make informed and timely decisions aligned with their future reproductive life.

Ø  Oocyte cryopreservation should be integrated into premarital counseling in different maternal and child health (MCH) centers to raise awareness about fertility preservation and its potential benefits for future quality of life.