Nearly all women who have their eggs frozen are not in a relationship, a survey carried out by the Amsterdam Medical Centre shows. Only a few women delay having children because of their career.

As of April this year, women have been permitted to freeze ovas for social reasons. Since then, 97 women have done so at the Amsterdam hospital, and of those 92 do not have a partner. The average age is between 36 and 37.

“Most are highly educated women,” says Fulco van der Veen of the AMC. “Of course they do have a career, but, with hardly any exceptions, they have taken this step because there is no man in their lives now and they are afraid they may not find one in time to have a child.”

Nearly all, he adds, come to the hospital after the end of a long-term relationship.

The AMC says it is surprised by the sustained interest. “We thought there’d be an initial flood of applicants and interest would then drop, but people keep calling.”

(cl/hs/imm)

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