Beijing, Aug 4 (IANS): Chinese authorities have banned single women from freezing their eggs to preserve fertility, a media report said.

The health ministry said single women cannot use "assisted reproductive technology" to preserve fertility, while couples must present their marriage certificate, identity cards and birth permits and prove that at least one partner is suffering from fertility issues if they want to use the technology, the Global Times reported.

Lin Ge, deputy head of the Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of Citic-Xiangya, said the technology started in the 1990s and has mainly been used together with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

However, following media reports of celebrities who go abroad to use the technology, a growing number of single women have been using the process in China.

Lin said since egg freezing does not necessarily involve IVF, it is not technically an "assisted reproductive technology".

Li Mei, the head of the advanced laboratory of the Reproductive Hospital affiliated with Shandong University, told the Global Times that the technology still faces challenges despite its high success rate.