While many have hailed fertility support for female athletes as a major step forward, one world-leading expert in women’s health says important questions still remain.
Professor Kirsty Elliott-Sale, who heads the Centre for Excellence for Women in Sport at Manchester Metropolitan University, says she is “delighted for any player who will benefit” from fertility support.
But she believes egg-freezing should be seen as one option among a wider package of support for female athletes, and urges those considering it to look beyond the headlines – and ask plenty of questions.
“Egg-freezing is an opportunity which allows them to invest in their fertility journey – at this moment – for the future,” she tells BBC Sport.
“But we need to make sure that if they want to have children during their careers, that is an opportunity for them.”
Elliott-Sale says fertility, pregnancy and maternity provision must be as well funded as egg-freezing, so there is never a conversation that starts with: “Oh, but you froze your eggs…”
She also warns that egg-freezing should not be seen as a guarantee of future motherhood.
The number and quality of eggs collected can vary, some may not survive thawing, and those that do may fail to fertilise. Even when embryos develop, implantation and pregnancy are not assured.
There are also unanswered questions about how treatment fits around the demands of elite sport.
“One of the things that none of us know right now is how long you should take away from sport, if indeed you need to take any time away from sport to do this procedure,” she says.
Elliott-Sale also wants clarity about what happens after eggs have been stored.
“It’s one thing to fund the freezing,” she says, questioning whether clubs will also pay for their storage then the treatment needed to use them.
And there’s an anti-doping consideration, too.
Fertility drugs that are used to stimulate egg production for retrieval and freezing are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Athletes must therefore declare them and seek a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), which gives them permission to take a prohibited substance for a specified time.
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