Posted on 10/27/2006 12:21:25 AM PDT by MadIvan
MOST women who freeze their eggs to preserve their fertility would consider using them to become single mothers, according to research in the United States.
A study of patients who have had their eggs frozen at an IVF clinic in New York suggests that 80 per cent would think about having them fertilised with donor sperm if they failed to find a suitable partner.
Many of the women, all of whom were childless and single, said that they had decided to keep some of their eggs on ice to “take the pressure off” their search for a man to father their children. If they never found him, their stored eggs would give them a better chance of motherhood.
The researchers found that 40 per cent of the women were definitely prepared to become single parents using their frozen eggs; another 40 per cent were still thinking about it. Only 20 per cent said that they would not consider having them fertilised without a partner.
Those who were willing to become single mothers said that they would probably thaw their eggs for fertilisation by sperm donor between the ages of 40 and 43, unless they found a suitable partner before that.
The research, from a team led by Alan Copperman, of Reproductive Medicine Associates in New York, is the first to examine the psychological motivations of women who decide to have their eggs frozen for social reasons, rather than to preserve their fertility during cancer treatment that could make them sterile. Details were presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in New Orleans.
Although the study was small — it involved 20 women — it suggests that the first group to take up the option of egg-freezing are doing so chiefly to take their fertility into their own hands.
“A number of women said they were interested in egg-freezing to take the pressure off the search for relationships,” the researchers said. “Cryo-preservation meant the freedom to wait, and to not settle for a mate because they were in a rush to conceive.”
Although it has long been possible to freeze sperm, egg-freezing is more complicated because of the cell’s larger size and high water content. It is only just starting to become a practical option for women. The first baby conceived using a frozen egg was born in 1986, but only about 300 have been born since.
New techniques are changing this: a method called vitrification allows eggs to survive the thawing process much more reliably, and pregnancy rates using frozen eggs now approach those achieved with standard IVF.
It has been legal in Britain to fertilise thawed eggs since 2000. Two babies have already been born, and 22 clinics are licensed to offer the service.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
The children, who through being raised these women, lack any father figure, perhaps.
on the odd occasions I've actually read the Times, I could sense a theme that ran along the lines of how men were redundant.
I'd also be curious to know whether these women will want their eggs fertilized by their husbands, or whether they plan to live alone, so that sperm from just any old mongoloid half-wit alcoholic from Lower Slobbovia will do.
No hidden agenda here, of course. Feh.
"I'd be interested to know what percentage of them a) are lesbian or b) have big problems dealing with men per se (but I repeat myself)."
Or, a generation of women are incapable of intimate, successful realtionships with men, because their expectations, perceptions and beliefs have been utterly warped and corrupted by the agenda-driven media and culture.
Been out in the dating pool lately? Most women these days, of the liberal stripe, can barely handle daily life without Prozac and therapy, let alone realtionships.
I feel sorry for the kids these women defrost.
These eggs just might degrade after 5-10 years of freezing and produce babies with birth defects
Frozen old eggs implanted in a middle-aged womb to be raised by an aging single parent aren't a recipe for success, IMHO.
mr. right???
most of these women....use a battery powered mr right and will the use a turkey baster mr. right for those eggs!!!!
And sadly, the type of mentality that prefers to create fatherless children, has no problem with discarding those "failed experiments."
My thoughts too though I didn't post them
I have been happily married for 17 yrs and I have 3 sons. While my husband is not perfect, I have to say he is a WONDERFUL FATHER. Sometimes I watch the interaction between him and my boys and I am in awe of their relationship. It's hard to explain, we all love our children but, my husband really enjoys his kids and spending time with them. Yes, even my teenagers (LOL). Whether a boy or a girl, having a strong male role model is priceless. To deprive your child of that is so selfish and wrong for the child. And to top it all off, it is downright creepy to have frozen eggs and anonymous sperm donors. Yuk
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.