More Japanese women freeze eggs and put their careers first

More and more career-oriented Japanese women are now seeking to freeze and preserve their eggs for future pregnancy.

Guidelines adopted by the Japan Society for Reproductive Medicine last year allowed unmarried women to do so - and without medical cause - from last November.

The new guidelines allow women to preserve their eggs cryogenically if they are concerned about a decline in reproductive function due to age or other reasons. But it does not encourage those aged 40 or older to preserve eggs.

"I want to prioritise my career right now, so egg freezing is like taking out insurance for the future," a woman in her 30s said.

Previously, cryogenic preservation in Japan was generally restricted to women who ran the risk of losing ovary function as a result of radiation therapy to treat cancer and other diseases.

The society adopted the new guidelines given the fact that more people are getting married later in life, making it harder for many women to become pregnant after marriage.

Repro Self Bank, a Tokyo-based private institution, launched an egg-freezing programme in May last year, and has since received inquiries from more than 500 people.