A few months before her 40th birthday Emma* decided to freeze her eggs.
The Melbourne professional had heard about the procedure in the media, but didn’t consider doing it herself until she reached her mid-30s with no partner in sight.
“I felt like my time was potentially running out to have a child if I wanted one, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted one,” she told Mamamia.
“I wanted to give myself the best chance of having one if I did have a partner in the future – or if wanted to have one by myself in the future.”
Emma fits the mould of the many single, healthy Australian women in their 30s, now preserving their fertility though egg-freezing.
For her it was a practical decision; for others it’s an emotional one.
Regardless, when successful, it is a straight-forward insurance policy against the ticking clock.

"As women we kind of get our choice taken away by our biology, and there’s nothing we can do. So it’s empowering to do something about it," Emma said.
"It’s kind of like one more thing I don’t have to worry about any more."
Over two attempts in October 2015 and February 2016, Emma managed to retrieve 33 eggs (around 10 are needed for a round of IVF).
She had minimal side-effects, although she did suffer from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a potentially serious condition that causes the abdomen to swell up.