... company health plan benefits (egg-freezing)

[Theonlyones]

I work in tech industry, and there are lots of pros (benefits, performance related salary, training)and cons (work hours, stress). One of the benefits of our very good health package is egg-freezing, and I know of many colleagues who have used this option over the past few years.

AIBU to think this is increasingly popular? Maybe it's just the team/company I'm with? Curious if this is a trend in the UK (I'm not based there).

DH works in large engineering/construction organization, it's not part of their company plan.

I’ve heard a few tech companies offer it. Likely to keep the women in work during typical child bearing age. However I have had a Google and apparently the live birth rates using frozen eggs are pretty terrible so it seems more of a way to benefit the company than a viable option for people wanting to delay having children.

I really disagree with this. It's basically the company trying to dodge having staff disruption due to maternity, the success rates with IVF as a whole arent that high and they are terrible for frozen eggs.

I will be strongly encouraging my daughter not to plan on her fertility being amazing through her 30s. I had a MUCH harder time trying to have children in my mid thirties than I expected, people really underestimate that yes, you probably will eventually get a baby but waiting til you are a bit older can mean years trying to conceive, far more miscarriages and more pregnancy complications.

I'd be suspicious that they're actually very keen to keep women working until it's too late to make a successful pregnancy particularly likely and aren't happy about anybody actually wanting to TTC around a 'normal' age.

'Why haven't you taken advantage of the egg freezing benefit? You aren't considering damaging the team by having a baby leaving us, are you? We need to know all our team are on the same page as regards dedication.'

'You've got frozen eggs, it's really not a good time to be looking at losing an essential team member'.

'I've frozen mine. You can wait and do it later'.

Working in such a company (and moved from one to another a few years back) I would not be so cynical about it. When something is added to Google package, then Facebook are inclined to mirror it, etc. Then Microsoft, then often later Apple.

I know a few people who've used it (one for medical reasons). Interestingly there is a lot more discussion about it since the lockdown. I'm in Ireland, and such a service is in Dublin.

There might be also some increased belief in tech/science solutions in our area, which is not always the case.

As I understand it; egg freezing has terrible success rates. You need to be freezing embryos, so it’s potentially offering women false hope.

That's interesting about the success rates. I had no idea about that. It's been a topic of discussion with some close friends/colleagues of mine, much much more since covid. Like everyone else, there is less chance to meet new people.

Anyway this is one just item in those benefit packages. I know people who have successfully utilized the package for a wide range of issues from bereavement counseling, longer physio/rehab, primary anorgasmia, assertiveness , etc. But it's a bubble, in that if you leave to go and work in another industry a lot of these benefits likely disappear.

On the negative side, there is huge work pressure, long hours, stress, expectation to be always available, etc.

It's not a good idea to freeze eggs unless you've got no option to freeze embryos instead. Frozen embryos have decent success rates, frozen eggs do not.

Yes egg freezing has terrible success rates. Only worth doing if it’s your last resort ie due to impending destroyed fertility

I was offered this at 22 with a big U.K. finance company, so eight years ago.

But when I went to the appointment, they said they didn’t recommend egg freezing as the rates of success are so low, and I’d potentially be better to save the extra money towards fertility treatments if I needed them instead.

So not new, but fairly useless and not that common in my experience.

Good afternoon,

I am a reporter with the Telegraph's Money desk, working on a story about employers offering egg freezing to their employees.

Would you be happy to chat to me about your experience of this? Email me: [email protected].

Many thanks,

Natasha