The practice of egg freezing is becoming more common as women increasingly choose to delay starting families. Reporting by Lesley Stahl found a sharp rise in young women pursuing the option to preserve their fertility for the future. The number of procedures rose significantly from 6,000 in 2014 to more than 39,000 in 2023.
The process involves hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries, followed by a surgical retrieval of eggs. These eggs are then frozen in liquid nitrogen, stored perhaps for years. Dr. Tomer Singer, head of Northwell Health's fertility practice, describes the procedure, and patient Katherine Schneider undergoes a retrieval. Details on the procedure are available ins and outs.
Reasons women freeze eggs vary. Some like Yasmine Higbee, 29, with a serious boyfriend, want more time to enjoy their partnership before children. Others, including Nameetha Jacob, 38, prioritize finding the right partner without the pressure of a biological timeline. Dr. Lucky Sekhon, a fertility specialist, notes that egg quantity and quality decline with age, making the 20s the optimal time to freeze eggs, as did Kate Sonderegger at age 22 due to future medical career plans.
The cost of egg freezing is substantial. A single cycle costs an average of $12,000 to $15,000, with additional yearly storage fees. Thawing and fertilizing eggs later adds thousands more. Some large companies now offer egg freezing as an employee benefit, a factor Carissa Simek considered when changing jobs. Information on the expenses is outlined in high costs.
However, experts offer caution. Vardit Ravitsky, president of the Hastings Center, calls egg freezing a gamble, not a guarantee. She worries women believe they have "put a baby on ice" when success is not assured. Critics caution women about relying too heavily on the technology. Evelyn Gosnell experienced this uncertainty firsthand when, despite freezing a large number of eggs, the process yielded only one embryo, which was found to be abnormal.
Business has boomed in the fertility field, attracting investment firms. Dr. Marcelle Cedars of the University of California San Francisco expresses concern that this emphasis on profit may create warped incentives for some clinics to encourage more cycles per patient, shifting the focus toward revenue.
Many women find peace of mind or success through the process. Tina Rampino decided to become a single mother by choice using her frozen eggs, giving birth to two sons, Christopher and Theo. Lynsy Smithson-Stanley froze eggs at 35 and later, with her fiance, created four viable embryos. Chiara Brown shared her personal experience in the UK, feeling more in control of her future after freezing eggs.
While not a guaranteed path to parenthood, egg freezing provides an option for women. Discussions among women like Tina Rampino, Carissa Simek, and Lynsy Smithson-Stanley suggest gynecologists should introduce the subject to younger patients, providing knowledge about reproductive health options. General information on egg freezing offers options for women. Tina Rampino reflects on her decision, quoting, "Do something today that your future self will thank you for."