The rush to beat the biological clock is on hold for a growing number of young women. Doctors in the D.C. area have reported a spike in younger women looking to preserve their fertility by freezing their eggs.
“It’s been a huge increase in the number of egg-freezing patients we’re seeing,” said Dr. Ali Gannon, a reproductive endocrinologist at Shady Grove Fertility in Fairfax.
She said better technology allows for the opportunity to wait.
“They’re wanting to focus on their careers, education or travel,” she said. “The technology has gotten to the point where we can have a good outcome with frozen eggs.”
According to preliminary CDC data, D.C. ties with Massachusetts for the nation’s highest birthing age: 32 years old. Gannon said patients who inquire about preserving their fertility are getting younger.
“Even women in their 20s are looking to do this egg-freezing process just so they can have some peace of mind and not think about racing against the biological clock,” she said.
Dr. Pierre Asmar, a reproductive endocrinologist at Washington Fertility Center in Annandale, Virginia, agrees.
He sees about three to four new patients every week, a nearly 200 percent increase in the last two years.
“[Because of Covid] they delayed pregnancies,” Asmar said. “They haven’t met anybody, and now they’re getting concerned. So, they say, ‘Freeze my eggs and let me take my time to find the right person.’”
But freezing eggs isn’t cheap.
Asmar said many of his younger patients are high-earning professionals armed with hefty health insurance from their employer to pay for the procedure, which can cost between $10,000 to $15,000 per cycle.
“Many candidates are working for big tech companies who are offering those services to their employees,” Asmar said. “Many of them have the means. They have good jobs.”
Some fertility clinics, like Shady Grove, offer financial packages that make egg freezing more affordable.
Something else driving the trend is the willingness to discuss fertility, unlike previous generations who saw the subject as taboo.
The stigma is all but gone, said Asmar.
“Many people are talking more and more about it in the media and on social media,” he said. “There’s more awareness about this.”
