By Anna Hodgekiss | dailymail.co.uk

In Britain, women are delaying childbirth later than ever: the average age of a woman having her first child is 31

Egg freezing should be every father’s graduation present to his daughter, a leading fertility expert has suggested.

Dr Gillian Lockwood, of the Midland Fertility Centre, where half of Britain’s babies conceived from frozen eggs originated, said young women are still not getting the message about infertility.

She told The Times: ‘One part of me wants to say that [egg freezing] should be every dad’s graduation present for his daughter. It would be a very safe, low dose, and you could have 20 beautiful eggs in the freezer.

‘But – and it’s a very big but – I’m concerned about how that would alter a woman’s life choices, that they might think: “Well, instead of having a family with Mr Not Quite Perfect, I can afford to wait for Mr Absolutely perfect”.

In Britain, women are delaying childbirth later than ever: the average woman here has her first child at 31, compared to 24 in 1962.

About 6,500 eggs have been stored in Britain in the decade since egg freezing was licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Yet the chances of conceiving a baby from a frozen egg are low, and preparing for it is a painful, costly process involving potent fertility drugs, chemicals and surgery.

Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston is rumored to have frozen her eggs, and in a recent episode of the U.S. reality television show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim injected herself with hormones in preparation for doing the same.

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