Surge in interest in egg freezing, as pandemic dating desert prompts women to consider their options

There has been a surge in interest in egg freezing, as pandemic dating desert prompts women to consider their options.

Fertility clinics across the UK have seen more women seeking to access their services, with some centres seeing inquiries jump by 50 per cent over the summer.

The London Women’s Clinic, which also operates in areas such as Darlington and Cardiff, said interest was up to 30 per cent higher than anticipated.

The Harley Street Fertility Clinic also saw inquiries rise by 20 per cent while IVF London said the number of women seeking to freeze their eggs had doubled over the last few months.

Dr Kamal Ahuja, owner of the London Women's Clinic, said: "Uncertainty creates anxiety —and also, thinking, 'If I have time now, who knows what'll happen next year, so I might as well do it now'."

Anya Sizer, from Fertility Network UK, said: "The whole uncertainty within the pandemic plays into the uncertainty felt by people experiencing infertility.

“With egg freezing that plays into: 'What's life about? What's my purpose? What do I want?' Life is ticking by —all of those emotions. The pandemic has exacerbated that."

Joyce Harper, professor of reproductive science at University College London, said: "The majority of women who freeze their eggs, on all the studies done so far, are single.

“When they've been asked, most of them want to have children now, they just haven't met Mr Right or haven't got a partner who is happy to have children.”

Professor Harper said that the pandemic had meant that the chances of meeting the right person “really goes out of the window.”

The process of freezing eggs can cost thousands of pounds from private clinics as it is not available on the NHS.

Eggs can be frozen for up to 10 years under the law but a recent report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics said that the time limit should be revised.

Katharine, 33, who works for a technology company decided to spend £4,500 to freeze her eggs at the Lister Felicity Clinic in London.

"The whole way in which we socialise and date has changed so drastically that I started thinking about an insurance policy. If I don't meet the man of my dreams until I'm 39, then at least I know I've got the eggs of a 33-year-old," she told the Sunday Times.

"I just haven't met that person, and with the coronavirus, I felt that it was becoming harder. That was the trigger.”