Nowadays many women prioritize their careers over motherhood

19.05.2015

Prioritising a career over motherhood has resulted in a huge rise in the number of women having their eggs frozen, new figures reveal.

According to experts, demand for the procedure has soared by 400 per cent in the last year. It comes as the number of enquiries at private fertility clinics in the UK doubled over the same time period.

The new research reveals the age of women seeking fertility treatment is also falling, with nearly half of people aged between 25 and 34 - up more than 10 per cent on the previous year. Enquiries into fertility testing are up 242 per cent.

Meanwhile those wanting intrauterine insemination - a procedure which separates fast-moving sperm from the more sluggish or non-moving, to be placed in the womb close to the time of ovulation - has risen 188 per cent. And embryo donation has increased 183 per cent since early 2014.

IVF enquiries in the UK are up 161 per cent, but increasing numbers of women are going abroad for the treatment, with Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine and the Czech Republic proving popular destinations.

According to research, egg freezing is the most popular fertility treatment in the UK, with demand up 407 per cent in the past 12 months. The treatment is offered to those women undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as well as to those who object to storing embryos for religious or moral reasons.

But, increasingly the procedure is sought by those who wish to postpone childbearing. Of all UK users seeking egg freezing treatment in the last year, 43 per cent were aged 25 to 34, and 13 per cent were under the age of 24.

Experts say, more women are pursuing careers and delaying childbirth to later in life which can lead to difficulties conceiving. There are an increasing number of women requesting egg freezing in their 20s and 30s, and choosing to have an IVF cycle when they are in a settled relationship.

There is a trend emerging of younger women, aware they may choose to have children at a later, and less fertile, time of life seeking treatment while they are still young.

Growing numbers of Britons are seeking fertility procedures at overseas clinics.

Spain has developed an international reputation as an IVF destination, and UK patients are following this trend with enquiries into egg freezing at Spanish clinics up 867 per cent in the last 12 months. Other top overseas locations for this are Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, all of which offer cheaper IVF than the UK.

A broad variety of social and economic factors are influencing the increase in demand for private fertility treatment, including egg freezing, demand for embryo donation and IVF.

Medical tourism has flourished for fertility treatment but, unlike dental work or plastic surgery, cost is not the main driver for looking further afield.

Fertility treatment can be an emotional, frustrating and expensive process. Finding a clinic that can support you, and deliver the best results while also remaining affordable is no easy thing.

Based on: dailymail.co.uk