DUBLIN — A growing number of Irish women are choosing to freeze their eggs as fertility services become more accessible and public acceptance increases.
Dr. Bart Kuczera, a leading fertility expert and Deputy Medical Director at Beacon Care Fertility, has seen a 50% rise in single women seeking fertility treatments since 2022. He predicts the trend will continue, with one in five intrauterine inseminations (IUI) at the clinic performed for single women.
From 2022 to 2024, single women also made up 61% of IVF treatments using donor sperm. Meanwhile, egg freezing rates nearly tripled over the same period, driven by advances in technology and growing social acceptance.
Dr. Kuczera estimates that between 1,000 and 1,500 single women seek fertility treatments annually across 12 Irish clinics. He notes that egg freezing technology, once unavailable, is now a common outpatient procedure.
The trend is especially evident in Dublin, where some tech companies now offer egg freezing benefits to employees. Dr. Kuczera has observed an increasing number of younger women, particularly in their late 20s and early 30s, opting for egg freezing as a proactive measure.
While fertility treatments are not provided by the HSE, some private health insurers cover them. Experts hope this growing trend could help address declining fertility rates in Western countries.
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