Sunday, May 13, 2012
Tick Tick Tick
In honor of mother's day, I would like to share about an article in today's paper. The article was about the increasing practice for women to freeze their eggs in order to have children later on in life. One doctor from Reproductive Biology Associates of Atlanta said that about three quarters of these women are encouraged by their parents who often pay for part of the bill which ranges from 8 to 18 thousand dollars. The procedure is not always a sure thing either. It gives many women the relief of still having the possibility to birth children, without the pressure of finding a husband and baby-daddy RIGHT NOW. This may be a false sense of security, but some believe it is worth the risk. Many daughters see parental participation in this process as a gift that their parents can give them. An investment in the future so to speak. Such a large investment may seem too big a gamble when you're putting up the whole cost, but split down the middle, the risk feels less...risky. Many of the women, however, feel pressured by their parents. Fertility preservation for your daughter has to be an awkward conversation to bring up in every day situations. There is a"very fine line between concern and pressure" says Rachel Lehmman-Haupt, author of “In Her Own Sweet Time: Unexpected Adventures in Finding Love, Commitment and Motherhood”. Should parents suggest this kind of thing at all?I personally think it is quite odd for women to require such assistance from their parents in matters such as these, or recieve any pressure to freeze her eggs. The fear that one's biological clock is ticking is her own worry, not the business of her parent's. Is the need for grandchildren really as strong as the desire to raise one's own children? I don't think so. Any thoughts? This practice is also used for women who plan to be treated for cancer. I think this is a much more concrete reason to participate in the procedure than because a woman fears infertility due to her age. Perhaps I am being closed-minded. Maybe?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Personally, i think if a woman wants to freeze her eggs, she should. I dont see anything wrong with it. As for the part with consulting your parents, if thats the kind of relationship that is between the woman and her parents then by all means go ahead and discuss it as a family, but it doesnt have to be a necessity. i think that if the parents were advising the woman on what to do it would be a lot better than forcing her. In the end it is the woman's eggs, not her parents' so she gets to decide.
I agree with Nicole though I think that this is a little weird to be truthful. Freezing eggs for scientific purposes I get, but freezing them so that you may have a baby later on in life I don't get as much. From a biological standpoint, it is much better to have a baby when you are in your 30s than in your 50s since the baby is less likely to develop health problems. I won't say too much more just to maintain a certain civility that I fear I may abandon unintentionally if I continue, but should this be a woman's choice? I would say yes. Should it be done? That I will leave to be answered by any woman who may consider this option.
In my opinion young women especially shouldn't be worried about this. Women in their mid 20's should not feel pressured to have children at a young age, they should have children when they're ready. Whether they are an older mother or younger what counts is if they can be a good mother. However in the case of cancer I think that this procedure is very helpful. But overall my opinion is that preserving eggs is a choice for women no matter what their reason it all depends on when they're ready.
I think that it should not be illegal to freeze eggs for scientific or medical reasons. However, it is questionable whether it is such a good idea for a woman to have children in her early 40s and beyond. For centuries, women have been fine with their period of fertility and I believe that younger parents make better parents because it is much easier to keep up with children, especially when they are young. If a woman decides to have a child from frozen eggs at say 45, she would be 63 by the time the child is a high school senior. This would make things somewhat interesting and the child's upbringing would probably be quite different because the energy level of parents at 45 is nowhere close to 28 for example. So while freezing eggs to have children later seems like an iffy idea, it probably should still be available for those that actually need it for a concrete reason.
The idea that women need to be protected from the persuasion of their parents to me seems kind of silly. These women are (hopefully) adults and should be perfectly able to stand up to their parents or whoever. It is selfish for parents to attempt to pressure their children to produce grand-kids, but if they're willing to pay to have eggs frozen, I don't see any harm in humoring them.
Post a Comment