Thinking of freezing your eggs? Beware the fertility spin

By Karin Hammarberg

It’s sold as a procedure that can empower women, but freezing eggs is costly, time-consuming and not guaranteed to be a success.

That hasn’t dented its popularity in Australia, where use of the treatment has skyrocketed.

The number of Australian women freezing their eggs tripled over the five years to 2020. Egg freezing for non-medical purposes also increased by 56 percent in just 12 months between 2020 to 2021 as COVID lockdowns, which made dating difficult, drove more women to the procedure.

As women’s fertility decreases with age, freezing eggs can buy time for those who want to preserve their fertility for later.

But, as a growing number of young women say they feel pressured by fertility services who use social media influencers to advertise egg freezing, it’s important women be made aware that egg freezing is expensive and may not deliver all that it promises.