Young women to put families on ice

[Caligula]

I found this news story quite depressing.

[littlemissbossy]

why do you find it quite depressing? even women in their early/mid thirties can discover they have fertility problems and it's (almost) too late for them. I'd like to bet that there are a few mumsnetters who wish they or a close friend/family member had had the opportunity to do this.

[uwila]

I was wondering if this story would hit MN today. Almost pasted it myself earlier.... but I haven't decided if I think it's good, bad, or just plain inevitable.

[uwila]

I'm certainly not opposed to women persuing their careers... but I'm not sure that freezing eggs is going to be a safe and health option for our future generation.

[pussycatmomma]

tbh im suprised its not come up before now. (freezing the eggs, not the story being pasted!)
my sister is having ivf. its going to be her second cycle and they are using embryos that were frozen in her first ivf cycle. i think the technology if thats what you call it is amazing. If she gets her babe , no matter which way, i think its amazing

[mummytosteven]

I agree with Caligula. Egg extraction for storage will not be a risk free straightforward procedure - it will be a very invasive procedure. And it's hardly going to be 100% reliable (and I imagine bl**dy expensive!).

[madmarchhare]

Inevitable but not quite right IMO.

Nothing wrong for couples who have found it difficult/cant conceive etc..., but I feel its natures way that its more difficult to conceive the older you are for a reason.

[uwila]

I think my concern (and I'm thinking quite a ways don the line here... I hope) is if we start freezing eggs and a large number of women start having children in say their early or mid fifties (hey, we do it in the forties now so I'm guessing this might lead to new mums in their fifties), then when those kids are teenager their mums will be retiring and their health deteriorating. Early seventies is fair game for things like alzheimers, and is that a time to be parenting a teenager. I just wonder if maybe nature (or God) has a reason for fertility dropping when it does.

[tabitha]

surely the cash-strapped NHS won't be able to afford it for more than a very small minority.

[Caligula]

My major issue is that we should be organising society to suit what's right for our bodies, not rearranging our bodies to suit a society hostile to us.

[expatinscotland]

how can they guarantee the eggs will survive the thaw process? that sounds really risky to me.

[WideWebWitch]

Agree Caligula, it's a very male approach imo