Why aren’t more women freezing their eggs?

t’s been 14 years since egg freezing was declared “ready for primetime”. So why does it feel like we’re still in the dark ages?

In 2012, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) removed the “experimental” label from mature oocyte cryopreservation, aka "egg freezing".

I was 44 then. For me, that breakthrough came too late. It makes me wonder how different my own journey to motherhood might have been had these conversations happened when I was in my early 30s.

Since then, egg freezing has become one of the fastest-growing areas in reproductive medicine. In the U.S., egg-freezing cycles have increased nearly tenfold over the past decade, with more than 40,000 cycles performed in 2023.

Those numbers sound impressive, until you realize that well under 1% of reproductive-age women freeze their eggs each year.

That's a troubling paradox.

We've solved much of the science, yet relatively few women are exercising one of their most valuable reproductive options.

Why?

A recently published global analysis of 50 years of egg-freezing research suggests the answer is no longer about technology. The next frontier is knowledge, awareness, intentions, and education.

The barriers today aren’t medical. They’re emotional, cultural, and financial. For some women, egg freezing represents hope. For others, it feels like admitting defeat. For many, the cost alone puts it out of reach.

Perhaps the greatest irony is this: Most women freeze their eggs later than doctors recommend.

We’re told freezing is best before the age of 32, when egg quality is high, but most women wait until their late 30s.  Meanwhile, women delay motherhood as they pursue education, careers, financial stability, and the right partner.

We're postponing parenthood...while also delaying the very intervention that will preserve our opportunity to become parents later in life.

Women delay egg freezing because it forces them to confront difficult questions about identity, relationships, finances, and the future. It's one of the most emotionally complicated decisions many women will ever make.

That isn't a failure of women. It's a failure of education.

Rather than solely teaching pregnancy avoidance, we also need to teach fertility education in early adulthood, guide and support them through these possibilities, and make it less expensive for women to freeze their eggs.

That’s why I’m excited to speak with Flavia De Prezzo this Wednesday. Flavia’s mission isn’t simply to encourage women to freeze their eggs. It’s to free women from the cultural stigma surrounding fertility preservation and create a community where they can learn, ask questions, and make informed decisions without shame or judgment.

Please join us this Wednesday to discuss how we can replace stigma with support, uncertainty with education, and give the next generation of women the knowledge to make the choices that are right for them.

#eggfreezing
#empoweredfamilybuilding