Legal disputes over the custody of frozen embryos became a staple of divorce proceedings.

WSJ: Robert Edwards, Pioneer of In Vitro Fertilization

Zoos now have access to a ghostly menagerie of frozen embryos for test-tube breeding.

ECONOMIST: From zoo cage to modern ark

There are about 200, 000 frozen embryos throughout the world, all awaiting decisions about what should be done with them.

CNN: Looking for middle ground in a minefield

They can sometimes use a single straw to produce a dozen frozen embryos, of which half could become viable calves.

WSJ: Those Who Root for the Bull

What is the Catholic Church's position on adopting frozen embryos?

NPR: Slate's Human Nature: Leave No Embryo Behind

The draft law places severe restrictions on the use of frozen embryos -- created as part of a fertility programme but no longer needed or claimed by the parents -- for the purposes of medical research.

CNN: France forbids human cloning

It is technically possible to obtain human embryonic stem cells from aborted foetuses and frozen IVF embryos.

BBC: UK to 'approve therapeutic cloning'

There is another benefit of egg-freezing technology that many people don't know about: If your own frozen eggs don't survive thawing or fertilization or fail to grow into robust embryos, you can go online to one of the many commercial egg banks popping up across the country and order a batch of frozen eggs donated by a woman who looks like you.

WSJ: Why I Froze My Eggs (And You Should, Too)