Women are so concerned about the recession that they’re prepared to freeze their eggs so they can postpone parenthood. In the Red magazine survey of more than 2,500 women aged 30-45, more than a quarter revealed that had considered egg freezing because of the current financial climate, while 15% said they had decided not to try for children at all.
Women are also prepared to spend less on fertility treatment should they need it. Last year, in the same survey, the average amount respondents would spend to help them get pregnant was £15,000. This year, it’s £12,000. However, almost all women said they would sacrifice other financial commitments – such as school fees and pensions – to pay for fertility treatment.
These types of responses to this survey aren’t surprising. Spending is being cut everywhere, not least within the NHS as fewer primary care trusts (PCTs) than ever are offering women who need it the free IVF cycles they should be entitled to.
The knock-on of this of course is that those who do need help to conceive are being forced down the private route, at a time when they can least afford it.
It’s why our egg-sharing scheme has received so many enquiries here at Manchester Fertility. If you’re prepared to be an egg donor and donate some of your eggs to other women, which aren’t being used for your own infertility treatment, then you can receive a subsidised cycle of IVF for just £870 inclusive of all screening costs.
It’s a way for people who need infertility treatment, but who can’t access it on the NHS, to get the help they need. So if you’re under the age of 35 and have no serious medical history, then egg-sharing could be the right route for you.
Similarly, we’ve also seen more enquiries from women wanting to freeze their eggs. The reasons women have for freezing their eggs are many and varied, but there’s no doubt that for many professional women, now is not the time to be taking the necessary career break to have children. Whilst for others, they want to make sure they are financially secure before committing to a family.
If you’re interested in either egg-freezing or egg-sharing, visit ourtreatmentspage to find out more or call us on 0161 300 2737.
Last updated: 20th January 2020
