US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed that, at 36, she has decided to freeze her eggs. In an online social media video, Ocasio-Cortez said she chose to go through the process in order to “feel more in control of my life.” She also said that she was going to document her journey to open up conversations about fertility and normalise the process.
Ocasio-Cortez’s decision reflects a broader trend that is already taking place. The latest report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists shows an increasing number of UK women are turning to “social” or “elective” egg freezing.
The report notes that the number of egg freezing cycles (the medical process of producing and collecting eggs) being undertaken each year has trebled between 2016 and 2021. The technology is now the fastest growing fertility treatment in the UK.
The picture is similar in the United States, which has seen a surge in cycles of egg freezing since 2014.
Although some women, like Ocasio-Cortez, are choosing to freeze their eggs for career reasons, my research shows that most users of the technology actually undergo the process because they haven’t found the right partner.
These women commonly want to find a partner who is equally as committed to parenthood as themselves. Egg freezing gives them more time to find this partner, and avoid engaging in what I have termed “panic-partnering” – entering into a relationship they wouldn’t otherwise consider if they weren’t at risk of unwanted childlessness.
Other common reasons that women may choose to freeze their eggs include feeling like they’re “running out of time” to pursue motherhood, the desire to take control of their fertility and wanting to feel like they’ve done everything they can to keep the option of motherhood open.
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