Choosing to freeze her eggs so she could one day have kids was an easy decision for
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Ms Ho.
Especially considering the fact the Figtree resident doesn't want to be a single mum by choice.
Having broken up with her latest boyfriend, Ms Ho is single at the moment.
But, turning 40 next year, she realises her time is running out to have a child the so-called conventional way.
So the medical stenographer opted to freeze her eggs after speaking to Dr David Greening from The Fertility Centre in Wollongong.
Ms Ho is in the early stages of the process but could start freezing her eggs as early as next week if all goes to plan.
"I've been thinking about doing this for a few years now but it was only after I spoke to Dr Greening that I knew it was the right thing for me," she said.
"I'm basically doing this because if I meet someone, say in my early 40s and we really want to have kids, we have this option."
Ms Ho was born in Vietnam and didn't move to Australia until she was 15.
Her family still lives in Melbourne but study and work opportunities brought Ms Ho to Wollongong about 10 years ago.
During her late 20s she was too busy studying, travelling and trying to establish her career.
But she always imagined that she would have kids when she was in her 30s.
"I've been in relationships but they just didn't work out for one reason or another," Ms Ho said.
"When I arrived in Australia from Vietnam I was only 15. It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted out of life.
"I spent my 20s studying, travelling and working a lot. It was only after I established my career that I really thought about kids.
....you think you have all the time in the world. But by the time I got my career sorted, my relationships didn't work out and before you know it, you are turning 40.
- Thao Ho
"When you are young you don't think about kids, you think you have all the time in the world. But by the time I got my career sorted, my relationships didn't work out and before you know it, you are turning 40."
The last 18 months to two years has been especially tough for Ms Ho as far as dating was concerned.
"The dating scene has been more difficult that's for sure," she said.
"Also, as you get older, the pool is smaller, you become pickier I guess. You would rather be single than having to date just for the sake of dating.
"Most people in my age bracket are either married, having kids or already have kids.
"It is just harder to meet someone as you get older but I definitely don't want to be a single mum by choice."
Dr Greening said social egg freezing gets a lot of media and public attention, but was only a tiny part of the IVF world.
"It is uncommon, but we do these," he said. "I froze eggs on a single 30-year-old who had a very important and prestigious position in Europe, and she could not consider pregnancy until her mid-40s. We did two cycles and froze 20 eggs which was a decent number.
"Some women have no partner or for a multitude of reasons want to freeze eggs as a fertility insurance policy. The cost is significant around $12,000 as it's not covered by Medicare for one try."
Dr Greening said some patients qualified for a Medicare covered cycle if they had a low egg count and may suffer premature menopause, or if cancer is the reason to freeze.
"You need to get a decent number for these eggs to later be fertilized with sperm, make an embryo and then a possible pregnancy. I advise 12-20 is a good number and that may take more than one cycle," he said.
"We have access in Australia to frozen eggs from overseas from anonymous donors. These are shipped around the world and come from young donors with good pregnancy chances."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
