Sniffing drugs to induce a temporary menopause, then injecting oestrogen to bring the reproductive system up to unnaturally high egg producing level and harvest the abundance of embryos for future fertilisation is becoming more popular amongst single thirty something ladies so I understand.
Apparently, it can take severe rounds of this slow down, rev up and harvest routine, to get enough eggs to have a fighting chance of getting a baby out of it further down the line, and the cost budget is around £10,000 plus a £300 pa storage charge ongoing.
I have to admit to being a bit surprised by the statistics reporting 523%* increase in egg freezing since 2012, but equally I know many ladies I meet are delaying the decision to start families for any one of a number of reasons, some are an obvious result of a changing lifestyle pattern for millennial women.
Maybe it is time for me to treat this as a routine part of my enquiries when getting to know you?
A mother of two, mid 50s and on HRT, I feel I am a long way from being able to judge whether this trend is likely to catch on, but if it is going to become important to my wonderful millennial ladies who I seek to empower with financial choices, then I need to know.
Your thoughts are welcome….
#savvysam
*Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority