You can be a mother in China, but only when the government says so.

Egg freezing. Once the last resort of very ill women whose dreams of motherhood would otherwise be crushed, it’s now become, for some women, a safety net.

In China the freezing of women’s eggs has become a national conversation after local celebrities reportedly travelled overseas to freeze their eggs to delay motherhood. China has strict laws concerning the freezing of eggs – married women are allowed to but with restrictions, and single women are completely prohibited from the process.

With a huge, aging population the ban on freezing eggs for single women, according to Quartz, is part of the Chinese government’s push to encourage women to give birth and not to delay it. The government is worried there will not be enough younger people look after the elderly and drive GDP growth.

Thirty-one-year old Manman from China, is not ready to be a mum anytime soon, but she’s worried about her future chances of conceiving if she waits. She wanted the freedom – and insurance –  freezing some of her eggs could provide.

“I don’t plan to have kids in the next two years. So I want to preserve my eggs… when they are still of good quality.”

But as the short documentary-style BBC news clip of Manman's journey shows, like an increasing number of single Chinese women, she travelled abroad to undergo the procedure.

In March this year, Manman flew to Los Angeles where her eggs were harvested after 14 days of tiring hormone injections.

It's a $25,000 ($20,000 USD) procedure, but Manman has the means and said that the money - along with the six months of planning ahead of the big day - was all worth it for the peace of mind it has provided her.

Listen: Lisa Oldfield is all for donating her eggs.

"I don't need to worry as much after freezing my eggs. And I can pursue my dream at this life stage," she told the BBC.

"I will be ready to devote myself to my future children. I am confident I will be a good mother."

Manman, whose boyfriend and family are supportive of her decision, said she's surprised her country doesn't allow single women to undergo such a procedure and doesn't think it's right.

"I believe single women have the right to choose whether and when they want to have children."

The video, titled My future babies: A 6000-mile egg-freezing journey, has been viewed more than 600,000 times since it was shared on Facebook on Tuesday. The thousands of comments range from those in support of Manman, to those heavily criticising her decision and the systems that allow her to freeze her eggs.

Would you travel overseas to freeze your eggs?