Motherhood, Rescheduled: The New Frontier of Egg Freezing and the Women Who Tried It
This intriguing (and often funny) book about women, including the author, who choose to freeze their eggs is hard to put down. As Richards notes, society sees “Clock Tickers” who take charge this way as being desperate or self-indulgent. Au contraire, she argues, citing all the reasons such a woman should be appreciated for making enormous efforts to ensure that she has “a better chance of finding a partner and father for her children, avoiding birth defects, and becoming financially secure so she can hold up her end of a marriage or support a family.” A meta-analysis of a dozen studies turned up the following reasons women freeze their eggs: “divorce, a family history of premature menopause, career or educational opportunity, lack of a supportive partner,” or “just not feeling financially secure or emotionally stable enough to bring children into their lives.” The author expertly weaves facts about freezing with the stories of real women, including herself. For Richards, “Egg freezing allowed me to change the narrative of my life from mourning and desperation to hope and potential.” A thought-provoking, well-written story for women who worry about their declining fertility. --Karen Springen