An insurance policy with no guarantee – the complex issue of egg-freezing in sport

BBC Sport examines the potential benefits, risks and unanswered questions facing female athletes about egg-freezing. "I remember waking up in the morning and I couldn't stand. I was bent over in two. I could barely walk." For Geva Mentor – England netball's most decorated player – this was the reality of going through the process of having her eggs frozen in 2019. "I had just played in my fourth World Cup and I was at a bit of a loss in terms of where my life was going personally, as I always wanted a family," Mentor tells BBC Sport. Egg-freezing is a process in which a woman's eggs are collected, frozen and stored for potential use later in life.

While Mentor's decision was a deeply personal one, the issue is becoming increasingly visible in elite sport, with both Chelsea and the Spanish Football Federation recently announcing support for players wanting to freeze their eggs. It is often presented as a way for women to help preserve their fertility and, in some cases, delay motherhood. For female athletes, whose careers often peak in the years they are most fertile, the appeal can be particularly powerful. "I wanted to go through a check-up and make sure things weren't drying up down there, so to speak, because I didn't know what impact elite