Women can't freeze eggs to suit lifestyle, say experts

Poor success rates and a lack of research mean healthy women should not be led to believe they have a good chance of getting pregnant that way. A statement from US scientists said egg freezing "remains an experimental procedure that should not be offered or marketed as a means to defer reproductive ageing".

However, a leading fertility doctor in the UK defended the practice, saying it gave women in their 30s options.

An increasing number of women are choosing to freeze their eggs for social reasons in the hope that they will be able to have a child when they are older. Critics argue they are delaying motherhood for the wrong motives, such as climbing the career ladder or until they have more money.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) issued a statement and said women should be offered comprehensive counselling.

Dr Marc Fritz, chair of its practice committee, said: "Women may unfortunately regard having frozen their eggs as though they have now in some way ensured their future fertility. Existing medical evidence simply does not justify that conclusion."

The ASRM estimates that the overall live birth rate from frozen eggs is as low as 2% per egg. It warned the figures may be even lower for women over 35 - the age at which fertility begins to decline rapidly.

At the end of 2006, 185 women in the UK had eggs on ice. Many are cancer patients whose fertility is affected by treatment.

Dr Gillian Lockwood, medical director of Midland Fertility Services, argued that success rates using frozen eggs were comparable with those using frozen embryos - at around 25% to 30% per transfer depending on the age of the eggs.

Her clinic receives about 10 inquiries a month on social egg freezing and around 30% of all the egg freezing carried out at the clinic is for social reasons (three or four procedures a month). Most of the women are in their mid-30s, paying around £3,000 each. She said: "As long as women know it's not an insurance policy or a guarantee, then it remains an option they may wish to pursue."