More Women Turn to Egg Freezing as Fertility Option, But Face Emotional Challenges
September 25, 2023
In an effort to keep their fertility options open, more women like Megan B. are choosing to freeze their eggs. Megan, a 36-year-old therapist and executive coach living in New York, made the decision to freeze her eggs after a breakup at 35. However, the journey has not been easy for her.
While Megan acknowledges the empowering nature of egg freezing and the amazing advancements in technology, she also recognizes the negative emotions that come with it. “The primary feelings are not positive ones. They’re grief and anxiety and fear and shame, and those are really difficult feelings,” she says.
With the lifting of the “experimental” label on egg freezing in 2012, the demand for the procedure has skyrocketed. In 2015, there were approximately 7,600 egg freezing cycles in SART-affiliated clinics in the United States. By 2019, that number had almost doubled to nearly 16,000 cycles. The COVID-19 pandemic has also further increased the demand, with a 31 percent increase in freezing cycles reported between 2020 and 2021.
Anthropology professor Marcia Inhorn from Yale University conducted a decade-long study on the motivations behind healthy women choosing to freeze their eggs. While she initially expected the reasons to be related to career and ambition, she discovered that relationship issues were the primary driving force. The study identified three main categories of women who froze their eggs: those who did so after a breakup or divorce, those who were still single despite years of dating, and those with partners who were not ready for children.
Inhorn emphasizes that women should not blame themselves for their situations, pointing towards underlying demographic disparities and changing attitudes toward fatherhood as factors. The changing gender ratios in higher education, with more female graduates than male graduates, may contribute to the difficulties in finding an equal partner. Additionally, it is often men, not women, who want to delay child rearing.
While there are alternative ways to build a family, many women who freeze their eggs are holding onto the hope of a traditional partnership. For Megan, the process of egg freezing has been anxiety-inducing. The hormonal injections, monitoring appointments, and the uncertainty of the outcome all add to the emotional toll. The procedure is also expensive, with an average cost of $10,000 to $12,000 per freezing cycle.
Despite the challenges, Megan remains optimistic and believes she made the right decision. She was overjoyed to have successfully frozen 21 eggs. As she navigates her present relationship, she hopes she won’t need to use her frozen eggs, but she finds comfort in knowing that she has options for the future.
Overall, while egg freezing offers a technology of hope and empowerment for many women, it also comes with emotional complexities and uncertainties. However, the majority of women who have undergone the procedure are pleased with their decision, embracing the psychological optimism it provides.