The Government has ‘no plans’ to pay for egg-freezing for all young women.

The question arose after the French Government wrote to all 29-year-olds to remind them that their chances of having a child lessen greatly as they get older. This campaign highlighted an existing state-funded scheme in France that pays the expenses of egg-freezing for women aged 29 to 37, regardless of medical need.

While some commentators in Ireland panned the French campaign, Labour TD, Conor Sheehan, asked if the Government would fund a similar egg-freezing scheme here.

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has responded that there are “no plans” to do so.

The State does fund egg-freezing for medical reasons such as “in cases where a cancer diagnosis has been made” and the Department was considering expanding the scheme to other conditions that affect fertility. But not to a generalised offer unrelated to medical need.

Ireland’s fertility has plummeted to 1.5 in recent years while those struggling with fertility issues has surged, thought the cost of treatments are often prohibitive.