AOC is being praised for sharing egg freezing journey: ‘so many young women will benefit’

Egg freezing in the US has jumped 4,000 per cent in the last decade alone - not least down to a combination of women choosing their careers, travel, or wanting to wait until later in life to start a family.

However, despite that, the process of going through it can still be a lonely and taboo one; which is exactly why US rep, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is documenting her own journey with fertility on social media.

Not only is she one of the most influential women in politics, but the 36-year-old has almost 10 million followers putting her social media posts under a microscopic lens, and has already addressed the negativity that has come with speaking on the topic.

“The answer to that simply is no,” Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said on Instagram Saturday (22 August) about whether she has regrets speaking on egg freezing. “I was born a woman, period. And I have no control over that, and I wouldn’t want to change that.

“And the way I feel is, any negativity or judgment that I would receive at any point is negativity that I would receive for being a woman, whether I shared this information or not. So I might as well help others,” she said.

But what exactly is egg freezing?

Well, it's essentially the term for the medical process of harvesting unfertilised eggs from a person's ovaries while they're young enough to be of good quality, and storing them for future use.

“Egg freezing has transformed from an experimental procedure to a mainstream fertility option over the past decade. I’ve seen attitudes shift dramatically. What was once considered only for women facing cancer treatment is now a proactive choice for many who want to preserve their fertility options,” says Dr Preetham Rao, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine at CREATE Fertility.

"Egg freezing follows the same initial steps as IVF. Women undergo ovarian stimulation with hormone injections for 10-12 days to encourage multiple eggs to mature simultaneously. We monitor progress through blood tests and ultrasound scans", notes Dr Rao.

“The key difference is what happens after egg collection. Instead of immediate fertilisation with sperm, the mature eggs are rapidly frozen using vitrification — a flash-freezing process that prevents ice crystal formation. This technique has been game-changing for egg survival rates.”

The ideal candidate for egg freezing is late twenties to early 30s, but there's nothing stopping you doing it a few years either side of that - it's more about egg quality.

She adds: "What many don’t realise is that not every egg collected will be suitable for freezing. At Create Fertility, we typically freeze only mature eggs. Of the mature eggs that are frozen, 85-90 per cent will survive the thawing process.”

Egg freezing doesn't guarantee a viable pregnancy, but it does open you up to the possibility of preserving already-good eggs for later down the line.

In the weeks that followed her own announcement, AOC has documented each day of her journey, from ultrasounds, to hormonal injections, and the egg retrieval day itself - which included going to brunch with friends right after it was done.

The next day, she shared the reality of her recovery and the extreme "bloating" prompted by the trigger shot administered in the lead-up to the retrieval, and is now focused on resting while the post-procedure effects peak over the next week.

What's more, she's even posted a Q&A of the most-commonly asked questions around the procedure to help other women who may be considering it, particularly around the cost and success rates.

“Egg freezing is a significant financial investment with ongoing costs. In the UK, one cycle typically costs £3,000-£5,000, plus annual storage fees of £300-£400", Dr Rao adds.

“Many women need multiple cycles, especially if they’re older or respond poorly to stimulation or have low egg reserve.

“When you’re ready to use your eggs, there are additional costs for thawing, ICSI, embryo culture, and transfer — essentially the cost of an IVF cycle, which can be another £4,000-£6,000.”

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AOC's honesty and campaigning to make fertility treatment more accessible hasn't gone unnoticed, either.

"Thank you for using your platform to bring more awareness to IVF. Going through it myself has made me realize how little people truly understand about the emotional, physical, and financial realities of this process", one person wrote.

"Thank you for sharing this journey- you are educating everyone around the world in a loving, caring & compassionate way. Your style of truth is your power & becomes our power", someone else added.

"It is so cool that you’re sharing this. Thank you for letting us get a glimpse of what this process looks like! It’s important for people to know what women go through with their fertility journeys", another added, while a fourth wrote: "I’m thrilled it went well, and even more thrilled that you are educating the general public about this process and how we can give more access."

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