More and more working women these days are warming up to the idea of freezing their eggs to postpone motherhood to a time when they are in a better state of mind to start families.
Fertility experts explain that the number of eggs in women are limited and their quality deteriorates with age. The best eggs are produced between 20 and 28 years after which their quality registers a fall making conception difficult. That is why egg freezing is catching on wi…th most city-bred women these days.
“I haven’t found the right person to settle down with and would like to start a family someday. I took this step last year and think it is not just an assurance, it is an insurance and so empowering”, said a business woman who chose not to be identified.
The procedure to store a women’s unfertilised eggs takes around two-three weeks to complete. The process involves 10-12 days of hormone injections intended to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once the eggs are mature, they will be retrieved through a procedure called Egg Collection, which happens under sedation. The eggs collected are immediately cryopreserved using vitrification (a flash freezing technique) by experienced embryologists. These eggs are then safely stored at the Centre’s facility until they are ready to be used.
The Bourn Hall clinic in Dubai offers egg freezing facility for Dh25,000 for a period of five years with renewal once a year for Dh2,500. After the five-year period, the situation can be reviewed and the client is allowed to freeze for a period of another five years under similar agreement. In western countries, egg freezing is allowed for a period of 15 years at a stretch
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