Olympic hopeful has eggs frozen

Helen Barnes failed to qualify for this year's Beijing Olympics

A canoeist is preparing to have her eggs frozen so she can take part in the 2012 Olympic Games without jeopardising her chances of motherhood.

Helen Barnes, 36, from Ripley, Derbyshire, who trains in Nottingham, will have the operation to remove her eggs this weekend.

She fears if she spends four years concentrating on her sport she may be too old to be a mother naturally.

She said: "It's maximising my chances to do everything I want in my life."

Ms Barnes, who took up canoeing when she was 16, missed out on a chance to compete at this year's Olympic Games in Beijing when she failed to make the required placing at the European Slalom Championships.

'Brilliant opportunity'

She needed to finish in the top two but crashed out in the semi-finals after picking up a penalty for missing a gate.

When she said she would continue canoeing friends suggested she should look into freezing her eggs.

At first she thought they were "crazy" but then realised it was a "sensible" thing to do.

"I thought 'what a brilliant opportunity!' I'm really lucky that the science is out there for this to happen."

Ms Barnes, who is currently single, is being sponsored by a fertility treatment provider. Normally the treatment costs £2,000 and women have to pay £100 a year to have their eggs stored.

"Some people might not agree with it. I'm not saying it's the right thing for everyone but it's right for me in this situation," she added.