‘Freeze-by age for eggs is 30’

Single women who want to start a family are being warned not to leave it too late to freeze their eggs.

Researchers in New York found the average age of women seeking egg-freezing for social reasons is 37-39 – an age when eggs are rapidly deteriorating.

Evidence suggests women in the UK are of a similar age when they explore egg freezing for lifestyle reasons.

A new analysis of 26 studies also found women under 30 had far more success with frozen eggs than those who were older. Fertility swiftly declines after the age of 35.

In the UK, the success rate of a live birth for each IVF cycle falls to about 5 per cent for women over 42, compared with 30 per cent for a woman under 35.