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Frozen eggs wait for Mr. Right

New Orleans: Some women are electing to freeze their eggs to take the pressure off finding Mr. Right, according to the first study of women's motivations to use the service. Many of those surveyed said they would consider using their eggs to become single mothers in their 40s, researchers told the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in New Orleans on Thursday. Commonly women have eggs frozen to preserve their fertility while they undergo treatment for cancer.

Doctors at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York interviewed 20 women with an average age of nearly 39 who had chosen to have their eggs frozen. Half of them said they felt pressured by their biological clocks; 65 per cent said they only recently became aware of egg freezing technology. All the women had bachelor's degrees and three quarters had masters or professional qualifications.

Cryo-preservation

Alan Copperman, who led the study, said many saw the technology as a means of delaying having children until they were in a fulfilling relationship. ``Cryo-preservation meant the freedom to wait, and to not settle for a mate because they were in a rush to conceive,'' he said. The interviews revealed that 40 per cent were ``definitely willing'' to have their eggs fertilised with donor sperm and become single parents, with 40 per cent undecided about conceiving without a partner. The other 20 per cent ruled out being a single mother. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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