A Northern Ireland woman whose eggs were frozen before she had cancer treatment is attempting to overturn a ruling that says she cannot use them to have a baby.
Ms Carolyn Neill (34) had the eggs stored after being told earlier this year that radiotherapy could leave her infertile.
However, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, a British government health watchdog, says she cannot have the eggs thawed because of the risks of abnormalities to the baby. The authority has also ruled that Ms Neill cannot take her eggs abroad now that her cancer treatment has been completed successfully.
It believes that not enough research has been carried out to ensure that frozen unfertilised eggs could result in a healthy baby. The authority is due to review the issue of frozen eggs next month. British clinics have been freezing embryos for years but have not been allowed to use a frozen unfertilised egg to achieve conception.
The Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre in London, where Ms Neill's eggs are being stored, is seeking a judicial review. Ms Neill believes the authority's ruling is unfair and the decision should be left to herself and her doctor.
She said she had decided to freeze her eggs with the full agreement of the HFEA. "When I was told the eggs couldn't be defrosted I felt it had all been a waste of time and that hope had disappeared."
Ms Ruth Deech, of the authority, said there were real concerns about the procedure. "We are concerned about genetic abnormalities that might show up in later life. We all remember the thalidomide episodes years ago. We must never have something like that again.
"We must value safety above all else, and as soon as we have enough independent scientific evidence to convince us that it is reasonably safe to go ahead and use those eggs in treatment, then of course we will permit it."
However, the medical director of Ms Neill's fertility clinic in London, Dr Mohamed Taranissi, said: "It is very sad to find out that this technique is now being provided successfully in the US and various parts of Europe and the Far East but is banned in the UK, which brought IVF to the world some 20 years ago."