Egg-freezing on the rise for women in Spain, but cost and lack of awareness continues to be a barrier
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 @ 10:52 AM
MORE and more women in Spain are choosing to freeze their eggs to put off having children - but numbers are still low because few are aware the procedure exists, and the cost can be prohibitive, says an IVF specialist at a Spanish hospital.
Dr Carlos Simón from Madrid's Quirón hospital says he sees between two and three women a day in his surgery who are considering egg-freezing, and stresses that it is an option women 'really should think about' if they have not had children by the age of 30.
"It's a way of disassociating biological age and reproductive age," he explains.
A very 'easy and simple' procedure with few risks which lasts around two weeks, the only 'invasive' part is the operation to extract the eggs - carried out under sedation, rather than anaesthetic, and requiring just a one-night stay in hospital for observation purposes, Dr Simón says.
Firstly, women undergo an ultrasound and a gynaecological examination before being given a tailored hormone treatment to stimulate egg production.
This involves daily injections for between seven and nine days, which are given under the skin rather than intravenously or into the muscle, meaning the woman can do these herself easily at home.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com