'A look at why many women undergo egg freezing, and the costs associated with it': Too few college-educated men

Egg freezing could be affected by the increasing legal battles over reproductive rights in the U.S.

The Alabama state Supreme Court ruled in February that all embryos created through in vitro fertilization are considered children, which could result in significant civil and criminal liabilities for fertility clinics and their patients. With over 1 million frozen eggs and embryos stored in the United States alone, according to biotech fertility company TMRW Life Sciences, this ruling could have far-reaching consequences.

Egg freezing is a reproductive technology procedure that women face numerous obstacles when choosing to undergo it. This article explores the motivations behind egg freezing and the financial, social, and emotional costs that come with it, based on the personal experiences of women from around the country.

The 'mating gap': What's driving egg freezing

According to Marcia Inhorn, a professor of medical anthropology at Yale University, the belief that most women delaying motherhood are doing so to prioritize their careers is no longer accurate.

According to Inhorn, the primary reason women freeze their eggs is due to the absence of suitable partners. Inhorn refers to this phenomenon as the "mating gap," which describes the shortage of eligible, educated, and equal partners. Inhorn discussed this topic in her book "Motherhood on Ice: The Mating Gap and Why Women Freeze Their Eggs," as reported by CNBC.

The issue arises because women are obtaining higher education at a faster rate than men. Inhorn pointed out that women are surpassing men in higher education in 60% of countries, and in the US, there are 27% more women than men enrolled in higher education.

Inhorn stated that there are millions fewer college-educated men among highly educated women in America aged 20 to 39.

Another reason women freeze their eggs is the feeling of empowerment the procedure provides. Inhorn believes that the freedom that egg freezing offers is what attracts increasingly younger women to the procedure.

She remarked, "It provides a brief respite and some additional time."

Reproductive endocrinologists and fertility specialists Drs. Nicole Noyes and Aimee Eyvazzadeh concur with this statement.

Noyes, a fertility industry expert based in New York since 2004, has observed a significant change in her patients' ages and attitudes towards egg freezing in the past two decades. Initially, her patients were older, typically in their early 40s, and viewed egg freezing as a last resort as they tried to delay the end of their reproductive lives. However, now, women as young as their late 20s are coming to see Noyes for egg freezing.

A 20-year veteran in the field and a resident of California, Eyvazzadeh has observed a growing trend among younger patients who are opting to freeze their eggs at their peak fertility.

Serena Kerrigan, a 30-year-old social media influencer, underwent egg freezing despite being in a relationship, with the goal of growing her business, she revealed to CNBC.

Kerrigan, a New York-based influencer with over 800,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, started sharing her egg freezing journey last year. She aimed to reduce the stigma surrounding egg freezing and provide her followers with a behind-the-scenes look at the challenging process.

Kerrigan, who has funded her procedures on her own, has partnered with her clinic, Spring Fertility, to donate a round of egg freezing to one of her followers. She hopes to reduce the stigma surrounding egg freezing in the future.

"I don't comprehend the shame or taboo surrounding this topic. To me, it's science, and it's amazing, and it represents a significant advancement. It empowers women and allows them to take control of their lives."

The benefits are high, but so are the costs

The advantages of egg freezing are significant, but so are the expenses.

The cost of a single egg freezing cycle in the U.S. is approximately $11,000. However, many women require multiple cycles as they age, which can increase the overall expense. Additional charges such as hormone medication and yearly storage fees can also add up to around $5,000 and $2,000 respectively.

In 2010, at the age of 34, nutrition health coach Jenny Hayes Edwards made the decision to freeze her eggs, becoming one of the first women in the U.S. to undergo the procedure. Although the procedure is still considered experimental in the U.S., Hayes Edwards was determined to try it. At the time, she was single and working tirelessly to run her restaurant businesses in Colorado.

Her expensive ski vacations in Colorado were no longer affordable after the 2008 financial collapse, and high costs were her biggest challenge.

Although Hayes Edwards initially found it challenging to choose, her mother's support ultimately convinced her to undergo the procedure.

"Her mother's words, "It's just money, and the opportunity that you might be missing is so much bigger," stayed with Hayes Edwards, and she realized how grateful she was for her mother's push to take the leap."

She managed to gather the $15,000 by utilizing a credit card to its full capacity, selling some jewelry, and liquidating an inheritance bond.

Hayes Edwards, who conceived a healthy three-year-old daughter nearly a decade after freezing her eggs, is still grateful for the extra time egg freezing gave her to meet her now-husband.

Employer benefits

Employer benefits for egg freezing, fertility, and family planning services have become more common, particularly among technology companies. A 2021 study from Mercer found that 42% of large companies covered in vitro fertilization services in 2020, up from 36% in 2015. Additionally, 19% of these companies offered egg freezing benefits, more than triple the 6% offering these benefits in 2015.

Michelle Parsons opted to freeze her eggs because the procedure was available through her job. The tech companies she has worked for have provided fertility benefits ranging from $10,000 to $75,000.

While working as chief product officer of dating app Hinge at Match Group, Parsons, who is a lesbian, had always known she wanted to freeze her eggs. At the time, neither she nor her ex-partner were ready to have children, but it was one financial incentive Parsons didn't want to miss out on.

Parsons opted to freeze her fertilized embryos as a backup, as they have a higher chance of successful thawing. Her search for a sperm donor led to the creation of one of Hinge's most popular features: voice prompts.

"As Parsons explained to CNBC, when they began listening to voice recordings of potential sperm donors, a lightbulb went off in their head, and they realized that this was what was missing from the dating scene. They were struck by how much personality, humor, and vibe could be conveyed through voice, which led them to develop the voice prompts feature on Hinge. This feature proved to be a huge success, leading to rapid growth for Hinge and eventually becoming viral on TikTok."

In other ways, Parsons observed that egg freezing had an impact on her professional and personal life.

"Although it's only for one month, going through the process of injecting hormones, eating differently, avoiding social settings, and abstaining from alcohol comes with various ramifications. Despite this, it's necessary to complete the process," she stated.

The process also doesn't guarantee success.

Evelyn Gosnell, a 38-year-old New York-based behavioral scientist, had undergone three egg retrieval cycles at the ages of 32, 36, and 38. Despite having many frozen eggs ready, she did not receive any viable and normal embryos after her eggs were thawed and fertilized.