Egg Freezing Puts The Biological Clock On Hold

This story is part of an occasional series.

As more women postpone motherhood into their 30s, even 40s, they're hitting that age-old constraint: the biological clock. Now, technology is dangling the possibility that women can stop that clock, at least for a while.

In a Manhattan office building on a recent evening, two dozen women — all in their 30s and 40s — sit in folding chairs, balancing cellphones and glasses of wine. They're gathered for a seminar called "Take Control of Your Fertility."

Dr. Alan Copperman of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York wastes no time laying out this harsh reality: By the time a woman hits her 40s, 90 percent of her eggs are abnormal. The chances of a typical 40-year-old getting pregnant in any given month? Ten percent. Unless, that is, she gets pregnant with her younger eggs — eggs she had frozen years before.

Copperman explains the procedure, introduces someone who has gone through it and takes a flurry of questions.

Afterward, women crowd a counter to set up appointments with Copperman's clinic, which offers egg freezing. Sally Montgomery is among the youngest here, and the most upbeat. Her mom had trouble conceiving, so she wants to be proactive.

"I'm 31, your typical New Yorker," she says. "I'm single, I'm bouncing around, and I'd like the opportunity to have a family, so I just figured, 'Why not?' I don't think it's a guarantee, but it's a nice insurance policy, and I think it takes some of the pressure off."

Others, though, slip out quietly. One 40-year-old says she wishes she'd learned about egg freezing earlier. Esther Montoro, a 37-year-old photographer, looks a little stunned.

"I think it's fantastic," she says, "but I think it's so incredibly expensive."

The whole process — a week of hormones, plus the procedure to collect the eggs — runs $12,000 to $14,000. And because it takes 10 to 20 eggs for a reasonable shot at success, some may need to do this several times. Plus, there are annual storage fees. Then, when you're ready to use your eggs, you'll need in vitro fertilization, another pricey procedure. All told, costs can easily exceed $40,000, money Montoro doesn't have.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/31/136363039/egg-freezing-puts-the-biological-clock-on-hold?ft=1&f=1003

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