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Oocyte cryopreservation on TikTok and Instagram: Who is teaching whom?

  • Assisted Reproduction Technologies
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Oocyte cryopreservation (OC) is a medical intervention for reproductive-aged women, a demographic that uses social media heavily. This study characterizes the top TikTok videos and Instagram reels on OC.

Methods

Five hashtags pertaining to OC were selected: #oocytepreservation, #oocytecryopreservation, #eggfreezing, #oocytefreezing, and #fertilitypreservation. Top videos for each hashtag were evaluated for source, content, impact, and quality on both platforms. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to analyze differences between laypeople and medical professionals.

Results

From March to April 2023, 332 posts were reviewed. The most popular hashtags on TikTok and Instagram were #eggfreezing (n = 5.6 million views, n = 68,500 + posts) and #fertilitypreservation (n = 9 million views, n = 20,700 + posts). Laypeople dominated as sources (57.8%, 35.2%), followed by physicians (17.0%, 32.4%). No professional societies videos were found. Educational information (53.1%, 48.6%) was most frequently shared on both platforms respectively, followed by personal experiences (36.1%, 21.6%). Laypersons’ posts were dominated by personal experiences (62.0%) with educational content second (33.3%). Educational content by medical professionals was more accurate on both TikTok and Instagram than patients (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). #Eggfreezing had the greatest impact for both patients and medical professionals based on shares (n = 9653, n = 3093), likes (n = 713,263, n = 120,700), and comments (n = 35,453, n = 1478). Notably, laypersons had a larger follower count than medical professionals (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The majority of available videos are from laypeople, focus on education topics, and are less accurate in comparison to those from medical professionals. Professional societies have an opportunity to enhance their social media presence for better availability and accuracy of OC information.

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Data availability

Data will be made available to the editors of the journal for review or query upon request. Data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper and its supplementary materials. Detailed datasets can be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

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Funding

No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, 100 Woodruff Circle, Suite 327, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Alexandra M. Herweck & Paris Chey

  2. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Heather S. Hipp & Jennifer F. Kawwass

Authors
  1. Alexandra M. Herweck
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  2. Paris Chey
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  3. Heather S. Hipp
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  4. Jennifer F. Kawwass
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Contributions

AH and PC spearheaded the data collection and drafted the initial manuscript segments. AH conducted the statistical analysis, while JK and HH provided comprehensive editorial inputs.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexandra M. Herweck.

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The authors declare they have no financial and non-financial interests.

Ethics approval

This study was deemed exempt from Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval as Instagram and TikTok are publicly available.

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Herweck, A.M., Chey, P., Hipp, H.S. et al. Oocyte cryopreservation on TikTok and Instagram: Who is teaching whom?. J Assist Reprod Genet (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-024-03110-z

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