Breaking Minute
A 31-year-old woman who froze her eggs after a break-up said it was "empowering" to seize control of her own future. Ria Webb, from Chelmsford, felt like "time was running out" while not knowing when she would be in a position to have children. After a process, which included taking injections at a Harry Styles concert, her eggs are now frozen inside a clinic at -194C (-381F).
Webb is among the record-breaking number of women who are collecting, freezing and storing their eggs in the hope of having a family later in life. There were 6,932 egg freezing cycles in 2023, according to the latest figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority - a rise from 2,567 in 2019. The process does not guarantee success.
Webb works as a patient support adviser at the fertility clinic where she got her eggs frozen by a colleague. "I felt like my time was running out, you hit 30 and you're talking about children," Webb said of making her decision. "It wasn't until I came out of a relationship I was like, 'This is something I probably should do for myself to give myself that security'."
Source: BBC
