What does the Catholic Church say about freezing eggs?
Mia Lopez
Updated on March 20, 2026
The Vatican also denounced most forms of fertility treatment (egg and embryo freezing, the injection of sperm into eggs), since “they substitute for the conjugal act…which alone is truly worthy of responsible procreation.” The Church singled out
in-vitro fertilization
Steptoe and Robert Edwards started collaborating in human IVF research in 1968. In 1977, Steptoe and Edwards successfully carried out a pioneering conception which resulted in the birth of the world's first baby to be conceived by IVF, Louise Brown, on 25 July 1978 in Oldham General Hospital, Greater Manchester, UK.
› History_of_in_vitro_fertilisation