Doctors say they have found ways to efficiently freeze the human egg, meaning a woman's fertility could be preserved far beyond her natural child-bearing years.

One group of young women said the prospect of literally stopping the biological clock is revolutionary to them -- just as the Pill was revolutionary to earlier generations of women because it separated sex from reproduction.

"I think there is a very good chance that it will make a difference for me in my lifestyle," Deepa said.

"I think it is important that women have that choice," added Caroline.

The McGill Reproductive Centre in Montreal pioneered this flash-freezing technique, which eliminates the formation of ice crystals that could damage the egg.

While the technique is in its early days, one healthy baby boy has already been born and six other women are pregnant.

The pregnancy rate for the frozen eggs is almost as good as that for fresh eggs.

"Potentially the biggest news, but we acknowledge that it may also be the most controversial, is that it will allow young women who wish to delay child-bearing to do so safely," Dr. Seang Lin Tang, who pioneered, told CTV News from a medical conference in Turkey.

The new technique could help women who become ill with cancer and whose fertility might be put at risk by chemotherapy.

But women who have no medical reason for the treatment -- but who can pay $4,000 -- can have their eggs frozen and have children later.

Medical ethicist Dr. Margaret Somerville of McGill said: "I don't think it's just a matter of an adult saying, 'when would I like to have children.' It's also a matter of what about children who are brought up by much older parents."

But for Beth Illingworth -- 36 and single, with no Mr. Right in sight -- the technique means choice.

"Sometimes people stereotype: 'Oh, you can't have a baby when you're in your 50s.' But if that when you want to have it and it works out for your life, then it's everybody's choice," she said.

With a report from CTV's Paula Newton