When Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez publicly shared her decision to freeze her eggs in August 2026, she brought attention to a conversation more women are having about motherhood and reproductive freedom. According to the Associated Press, the 36-year-old lawmaker explained that her decision was about feeling more in control of her life.
Her experience reflects a growing interest in egg freezing among women who want children someday but aren’t necessarily ready to become mothers right now.
A 2025 UCLA Health study found that planned egg freezing increased nearly fourfold between 2014 and 2021, from 4,153 to 16,436 patients. The average age of women undergoing the procedure also dropped from 36 to 34.9 during that period.
More recent figures from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology recorded nearly 39,000 egg banking cycles for fertility preservation at participating U.S. clinics in 2024. Those numbers include medical fertility preservation and should not be confused with elective procedures alone.
So why are women increasingly considering this option?
For some, it’s about building a career, completing their education, or becoming financially stable before raising children. For others, the biggest consideration is finding the right partner without feeling pressured to rush into a relationship.
A study published in Fertility and Sterility examined women pursuing planned fertility preservation between 2012 and 2022. Nearly 79% of those who underwent egg freezing were unpartnered, challenging the assumption that career ambitions alone explain the trend.
Motherhood is also happening later. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average age of first-time mothers in the United States increased from 26.6 in 2016 to 27.5 in 2023.
Meanwhile, medical concerns are another important reason women preserve their fertility. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends counseling patients about fertility preservation when cancer treatments, certain surgeries, or other medical conditions threaten their future reproductive potential.
The procedure itself requires more than simply storing eggs.
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s patient guidance, women typically undergo approximately 10 to 12 days of hormone injections, blood tests, and ultrasounds. Doctors then retrieve mature eggs during an outpatient procedure under anesthesia. The eggs are frozen for potential future use through in vitro fertilization, commonly called IVF.
Age matters because egg quantity and quality generally decline over time. However, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s clinical guidelines emphasize that there is insufficient evidence to establish one ideal age for elective egg freezing. Outcomes tend to be better when eggs are frozen younger, but success is never guaranteed.
For Black women, this conversation carries additional significance because reproductive choices intersect with longstanding disparities in fertility care.
A 2022 study involving 68 Black obstetrician-gynecologists found that 66% felt compelled to postpone having children because of medical training. Another 19% had already frozen their eggs or planned to do so, while 70% believed women entering medical training should consider the procedure.
Although the study involved a small group of physicians, it offers insight into how demanding careers can influence reproductive decisions among Black professional women.
More concerning findings emerged from the Fertility and Sterility study published in January 2025. Researchers followed 5,915 women who initially sought egg freezing consultations, including 1,124 Black women.
Compared with White patients, Black women had less than half the odds of proceeding with treatment after their initial consultation. Those who did move forward were also less likely to complete multiple freezing cycles. Researchers identified racial and socioeconomic disparities but did not establish a single explanation for those differences.
Access to reproductive healthcare remains another concern. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s 2025 report on healthcare disparities found that Black women often experience longer delays before receiving fertility care. The organization also identified uterine fibroids, tubal disease, unequal access to specialists, and potential provider bias as issues affecting reproductive outcomes.
International findings provide additional context. According to the United Kingdom’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, egg storage accounted for 4% of fertility treatment cycles among Black patients between 2017 and 2021, compared with 3% among White patients. These figures describe the share of treatment cycles, not the percentage of Black women freezing their eggs overall.
Then there’s the financial reality.
In the United States, one egg freezing cycle can cost approximately $10,000 to $20,000, according to Vox’s 2026 reporting. Storage, additional treatment, and eventually using those eggs can increase the total expense.
Insurance coverage is far from universal. A 2024 KFF employer survey found that only 12% of companies with at least 200 workers offering health benefits reported coverage for egg or sperm freezing.
Another important reality is that freezing eggs doesn’t guarantee a future pregnancy. UCLA researchers found that just 5.7% of women who froze eggs from 2014 through 2016 returned to use them within five to seven years. That figure measures how many returned, not the treatment’s overall success rate.
Ultimately, egg freezing represents an additional reproductive option, not an obligation. For women weighing the decision, understanding their personal fertility health, treatment costs, medical risks, and realistic chances of success is essential.
The larger shift is about women wanting more say over when and how they build their families, without feeling that every career move, relationship decision, or birthday must come with a deadline for motherhood.
