Data shows that, on average, one out of 20 Australian women looking at having a baby will explore egg freezing.
According to research from Monash IVF, one in eight Sydney women are opting to freeze their eggs, or are currently engaged in the process.
Click the link below and listen the full episode to find out:
On today’s This Arvo In Sydney, host Sacha Barbour Gatt and LiSTNR journalist Micaela Savage spoke about the rise of egg freezing among Sydney women.
Savage contacted several IVF clinics in Sydney, and all of them agreed it’s increased significantly in the last few years.
Some experts suggest the pandemic has prompted many women to think about their fertility, and Dr Giselle Crawford from Monash IVF has attributed the rise to the cost-of-living crisis.
Certainly, the cost of living is arguably the highest here in Sydney. Maybe women are actually having to delay childbearing for a longer duration because of the cost of living; they are not yet ready financially to settle down and start a family.”
Despite the improvements around egg freezing technology, IVF remains expensive. Costs can range from $6,000 to $12,000. Prices will vary depending on the clinics and patients’ needs.
That includes fertility medicines that you have to take before the actual egg retrieval process, your surgeon, your anaesthetist,”
Savage said.
Dr Frank Quinn, one of IVF Australia’s leading fertility specialists, said:
If it was cheaper, we’d see more women doing it.”
Savage said the other group contributing to the increasing number was same-sex couples. She reached out to Rhiannon, living in Greater Sydney; she and her wife are in the process of freezing her eggs.
She said finding the right clinic has been long and tiring. They chose a place in Brisbane due to limited sperm donor options in Sydney.
Hosted by Sacha Barbour, This Arvo in Sydney is a 10 to 12 minute daily news podcast made just for Sydney! Listen now on the Listnr app.