More Canadians are freezing their eggs. Why and what to know about the process
Global News
Egg freezing and other fertility treatments are on the rise in Canada as couples delay their plans to have kids for a variety of reasons.
For her 25th birthday this year, Shania Bhopa gave a gift to her future self.
The PhD student from Hamilton decided to freeze her eggs as an “insurance policy” to have a baby in the future as she focuses on her career right now.
Bhopa’s goal is to have her first child a decade from now, around the age of 35.
“A weight’s been lifted off my shoulder,” said Bhopa, who underwent the egg-freezing procedure at Markham Fertility Centre last month.
“I’ve always wanted to be a mum, and I think that’s one of my purposes in life and … I know that’s not my timing right now,” she told Global News in an interview.
Egg freezing and other fertility treatments are on the rise in Canada, as couples delay their plans to have kids for a variety of reasons.
In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of babies born in Canada fell to a nearly 15-year low and the fertility rate hit a record low of 1.41 children per woman.