Women are increasingly choosing to freeze their eggs to take the pressure off for finding the right partner, according to a study of women's motivations to use cryo-preservation technology.

Many of those surveyed said they would consider using their eggs to become single mothers in their 40s, local media reported Saturday.

Usually women have their eggs frozen to preserve their fertility while undergoing treatment for cancer. But now increasing number of career women are choosing to use the service for social reasons to deflect pressure on them to find a partner for marriage.

Doctors at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York interviewed 20 women with an average age of 38.6 who had chosen to have their eggs frozen.

Half of those surveyed said they felt pressured by their biological clocks; 65 percent said they only recently became aware of the egg freezing technology.

All the women had bachelor's degrees and three quarters had masters or professional qualifications.

Alan Copperman, who led the study, said many women saw the technology as a means for delaying having children until they were in a fulfilling relationship.

"Cryo-preservation meant the freedom to wait, and to not settle for a mate because they were in a rush to conceive," he said.

The survey revealed that 40 percent were "definitely willing" to have their eggs fertilized with donor sperm and become single parents, with 40 percent undecided about conceiving without a partner. The other 20 percent ruled out being a single mother.

The findings of the survey was reported to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in New Orleans.