Member-only story
A Case for Living Child-Free
The happy-family aspirational blueprint is a farce. It’s time to make a decision for yourself.
“Hazel, I think it might be time to freeze your eggs.”
Mum barely bothered with a “hello” before dropping that telephone bombshell — but she was probably right to convey some urgency. Menopause comes early for the women in our family. Her periods stopped at age 42 and I was only a handful of years younger than that when we had this conversation. If I wanted to be a mother, I’d better act fast.
It’s nothing short of miraculous that we’re able to take a collection of ova out of our bodies, put them on ice for a few years, and warm them up later like a microwave dinner. But it’s not without its tribulations. To better my chances of a good harvest, I’d have to pump myself full of hormones and undergo months of testing and invasive procedures. As a single woman, I’d also have to answer the not-so-simple question of who I wanted to do the fertilizing — all to shelve some rainy-day embryos.
Truth be told, I wasn’t even sure I wanted a baby. I’d never experienced that broody, magnetic pull towards motherhood that other women talk about. But this was surely just because I hadn’t hit the right age yet, I reasoned. The “give me a baby now” lightning bolt could strike at any…
