Karamel Sutra? I didn't realize Ben and Jerry came out with a new flavor! I know where I'm going after work! Yum!

*As Lockwood's critics have pointed out, egg freezing seems a dismal solution to a larger societal problem: the lack of support for working mothers (and fathers, mind you). It isn't that there's an immediate solution or obvious fix-it to any of these problems, but why put the onus solely on women?*

If you are a woman in your 30s who is not ready to have children but thinks that she may want biological children in the future, why do you have a problem with this? Since I would like to have children someday, would prefer to do so once married, am not prepared to marry someone just so I can procreate, and am not prepared to have one "on my own," egg-freezing seems like something I would consider. I am curious as to whether there are any married, financially struggling couples out there in their 30s who are putting off parenthood because of their financial struggles and who are considering freezing eggs. My guess is that the women who are considering freezing their eggs are like me and the rest of my 30-something, unmarried (but still hoping to find the right partner) girlfriends. It's somewhat comforting to think that the option to have biological children (even if you never exercise the option) still exists even if you don't find, prior to the age of 35, someone you want to marry and have children with. (Of course, while the sand continues to run out of my biological clock, I also consider the lack of support from society and corporate America for working mothers and fathers ...)

Having eggs harvested sounds simple, but it requires taking drugs that can have serious side effects and then undergoing a procedure to remove the eggs. It's not something I would do unless I knew that I was going to use the eggs to try to conceive. It's irresponsible to suggest that women undergo this procedure "on spec."

It's strange how "You might have a kid with Down Syndrome!" somehow is equated with "You might spontaneously combust!" or something along those lines. I have a kid with Down Syndrome and he is the light of our lives and the lives of just about everyone that gets to know him. Plus, kids with DS sleep through the night really early on!

I have a little trouble seeing the problem in this situation, other than (as the author points out) affordability concerns. All this does is urge younger women to expand their options. The doctor may pose it as either-or, but it's not; a 42-year-old still has a choice about which eggs to use, and if she has trouble with her own, the frozen ones give her a good backup. As someone about to turn 40 who just went through breast cancer treatment and may not be able to get pregnant now, I kind of wish I had that opportunity myself.

Why don't these women just adopt? Taking a child out of poverty seems to be more ethical than putting another mouth on this planet.

Also, psycprof, many people would question whether bringing a child into the world with Down's Syndrome is ethical. There's something creepy about your insistence that Down's Syndrome actually has an advantage. Besides that, almost nobody wants to do that, if it can be helped, and it can.

Are you suggesting accepting a Down's Syndrome child is unethical? Would your ethic include pressuring women who find out their unborn child may have Down's Syndome into having an abortion? Many women under 35 give birth to children with Down's Syndrome. Should all women have a test to determine if their child has this condition? And then should they be counseled to abort if it appears the child has Down's Syndrome?

Having said that, I feel I must divulge that I am vehemently pro-choice - with choice including the rights of parents to see a pregnancy through even if the child is seen as less than pefect by ethisists and other members of society.

I thought the overall point of this was that instead of ameliorating some of the reasons why women don't have children before 35, they just make it easer post-35. I would guess there are a lot of women who don't think they can do career and child pre-35. I work in academia and I was told that it's a good idea to delay your first child until post-tenure (so after at least 6 years in the job) both for practical reasons (publishing) and because it would raise questions about my committment to my career. My male colleague (who now has two children) was not told the same thing. I would guess this is the case for a lot of professional women and this is a symptom of the problem that the workplace is not always a friendly place for moms.

And it's not like this is a solution to the work/family dilemma for most women. My insurance wouldn't cover freezing my eggs and is not an economically feasible option for me. So it's not exactly a liberating solution for most women (as would be, say, better accommodations for parents in the workplace, etc.)

Tracy Clark-Fory writes:

As Lockwood's critics have pointed out, egg freezing seems a dismal solution to a larger societal problem: the lack of support for working mothers (and fathers, mind you).

what does freezing eggs have to do with working parents? freezing eggs has to do with biology, age, and whether or not the woman has found a mate. is lack of support for working parents even at issue here? seriously, i just don't get that leap in logic.

ce:

thanks for your perspective. i imagine it can be difficult to pursue your career full steam ahead if you cannot afford a nanny to assist.

but i just want to point out that a lot of women wait because they haven't met the right partner or because they simply are not ready. i am married and want children, but i also have a great life (professionally and socially) and a great marriage, and i am reluctant to upset it right now. at the same time, i just turned 31, and biology pretty much dictates that i don't have the luxury of waiting until i am ready. i think in these two examples, freezing eggs would be a great alternative. these are the two examples that popped into my head when i read the article, so the work mothers comment just seemed a little far fetched.