China Women denied right to freeze their eggs go overseas for treatment

When Yang Li turned 30, she gave herself three years to decide whether she wanted to have children. But as the years ticked by, working a busy job in Beijing, Yang (not her real name) was still unsure if or when she wanted to be a mother. So last year, a month before her 34th birthday, she decided to freeze her eggs.

- Amy Hawkins

However, as a single woman in China, no fertility clinic would help her. Despite China's push to boost the birthrate, only married couples with fertility problems can use egg-freezing services or any kind of assisted reproductive technologies.

"I talked to a doctor, and she told me that to freeze my eggs in China, I either need a husband or I need to have cancer. And I told her, I don't want either," Yang said.

After researching options online, Yang travelled to the Czech Republic in September to undergo an egg retrieval and freezing process. The treatment cost her about 25,000 yuan (£2,660) plus an annual storage fee. She plans to go back for another round this year.