The number of women freezing their eggs surged during the Covid pandemic, with many fearing they were running out of time to have a baby, figures show.
The pandemic brought dating to a halt for single women for months at a time, leaving some unsure when they would meet the right partner to start a family.
Statistics for 2020, the latest available and released exclusively to the Daily Mail, show an average of 219 women a month froze their eggs that year, excluding April and May when numbers fell because of clinic closures due to Covid.
The total increased from fewer than 200 a month in 2019.
The number of women freezing their eggs surged during the Covid pandemic, with many fearing they were running out of time to have a baby, figures show
Covid has left many women extremely anxious about their biological clocks, according to experts.
Responding to the figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), Aria Fertility clinic in London said it has seen a ‘significant increase in demand’ for egg freezing since the pandemic, with the procedure now making up a fifth of its treatments.
Dr Ippokratis Sarris, of King’s Fertility clinic, said: ‘We saw an increase in demand for egg freezing after Covid, which came from women having to put their dating lives on hold and spending more time on their own, giving them more time to think about their options.
The pandemic brought dating to a halt for single women for months at a time, leaving some unsure when they would meet the right partner to start a family, according to experts
‘These women, along with those whose relationships ended during the Covid-related restrictions, may have experienced some fear about their options for having a family.’
While some will have had eggs frozen because of a medical treatment such as chemotherapy, to preserve fertility, the vast majority are by choice.
Each woman had at least one cycle of egg freezing, planning to use them herself in later life rather than donate them to another couple.
Rachel Cutting, of the HFEA, said: ‘Clinics should make [women] aware that egg freezing does not guarantee a baby – just a third of IVF treatments result in a live birth.’
