An estimated 2,600 female cancer patients annually would hope to freeze their eggs — to preserve their fertility before therapies that could make them infertile — if they had access to financial help, a recent study conducted by a health ministry research team reports.

The figure is around 10 times the 256 women who actually froze their eggs before undergoing cancer treatment in 2015, and highlights the need for a publicly funded subsidy program, according to the research team.

The initial costs of freezing eggs or embryos are at least ¥200,000 to ¥400,000, and it is believed that freezing eggs for all patients who might need the service in Japan would cost around ¥880 million. Frozen eggs can be used for in vitro fertilization when their owners decide to have children.