According to a recent New York Times article, the number of healthy women in the United States who chose to freeze their eggs jumped from 475 women in 2009 to more than 9,000 women in 2017. In fact, approximately 36,000 women banked eggs over the course of the last decade. What’s behind this seismic shift in popularity? Part of it stems from a more widespread acceptance of the practice, and effective marketing campaigns on the part of fertility clinics offering the service.

And, of course, the obvious benefit for many women is knowing they have the option to later try to conceive using one or more of their frozen eggs. Having your eggs harvested and frozen provides a safety net of sorts, giving women the option to try to conceive later in life when the timing is right (or, when the timing is better, in some instances.) However, there is no guarantee that using frozen eggs later will result in conception. In some cases, women are waiting too long to freeze their eggs, or they aren’t freezing enough of them.

Still, the number of women choosing to freeze their eggs — more than once in some cases — is continuing to rise. An unexpected benefit, as noted in the Times article, is the sense of freedom and peace of mind women experience after going through the process.

By freezing eggs, some women reported feeling free to focus on the quality of their relationships with potential partners (and potential co-parents), rather than feeling rushed into trying to conceive with someone who may not be an ideal parent just because the proverbial fertility clock was ticking.

If you are a woman who is considering freezing eggs, it pays to do some research ahead of time, and to fully understand the service agreement and terms. Learn more about The Surrogacy Law Center and contact us to schedule a meeting!