To freeze or not to freeze?

Kimberley Caines • April 11, 2025

To freeze or not to freeze?


It's the question more women should be asking themselves. 


Did you know women are born with every egg they'll ever have, and one day, there will be none left?


They don't produce any new eggs during their lifetime.


There’s no renewal, only a steady decline in the number they have each month. 


At birth, a girl has around 1 to 2 million eggs in her ovaries.


By puberty, this number has dropped down significantly to about 300,000.


That’s roughly 25 percent of her original supply.


And month by month, year by year, those numbers keep dropping until menopause, when the egg reserve runs dry.


We’re taught how not to fall pregnant in school - "take the pill, use protection" -
but no one teaches us what happens when we
do want a baby... and it’s not that simple.


The truth is, it’s getting harder every year to conceive naturally.


Why? Because we're having children later in life when our egg quality and quantity have significantly declined.


More women need to be thinking about preserving their fertility for future family planning, so they're not left with regrets later.


Two years ago, I had the privilege of sharing my egg freezing journey with a room of women.


We weren't just talking biology - we were talking options, empowerment, and planning for the future.


Fertility isn't just a women's issue.


It’s a health issue.


A policy issue.


A conversation we
must have now.

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Kimberley Caines' eggs before being put on ice.
By Kimberley Caines March 13, 2025
Eleven days before Treasurer Jim Chalmers encouraged Australians to have more babies to boost the dwindling birth rate, I received an email from my fertility provider asking for patients to donate their frozen eggs. Australia is experiencing one of the lowest fertility rates in history.
By Kimberley Caines February 26, 2025
No one teaches us about the timing of our fertility - until it’s too late. More women are sharing their struggles with infertility, wishing they had known more when they were younger. I froze my eggs in my 20s to give myself choices for the future, and I’ve been an advocate for fertility education ever since. We need to have these conversations earlier so people can make informed decisions about their bodies. Let’s change the narrative.
Kimberley Caines froze her eggs in her 20s to take control of her future fertility.
By Kimberley Caines February 20, 2025
It’s hard to imagine that at 28 years old, the quality and quantity of my eggs were already deteriorating. This was not due to a medical condition but simply my age.