.jpeg)
“Don’t worry about having kids right now—you can always freeze your eggs.”
“My friend froze her eggs when she was younger and now she has two beautiful children. You can do that too!”
There’s often a lot of pressure on people to have children, and it’s likely they’ve heard comments like these before. Some like to think of egg freezing as a safety net for those who want to delay childbirth or preserve their fertility until they’re ready. The procedure, where eggs are harvested and frozen unfertilized, provides an assurance that people can have kids when they’re ready—even if they’re in their late 30s, 40s, or even 50s.
Egg freezing is growing more popular in the past few years, with over 12,000 people in the U.S. freezing their eggs in 2020 alone. And employees are asking for more support as they pursue egg freezing: a recent Maven report found 31% of employees wanted their company to offer fertility care, including egg freezing benefits.
As you think about how to better support your employees, egg freezing should be top of mind. However, the procedure is more complex than it seems, and employers need to understand the nuances in order to provide their employees the best support possible during this phase of life. Here’s what HR leaders need to know.
Understanding the evidence & costs of egg freezing
Despite the rising popularity of egg freezing, it may not be a realistic solution for everyone. A recent study found that only 39% of frozen eggs led to a live birth. This means that almost two-thirds of people who freeze their eggs can’t actually have children with them. The study found that age and the number of eggs have the highest impact on success. In other words, the younger people were when they harvested their eggs and the more eggs they harvested, the more likely they were to achieve pregnancy.
Successful egg freezing isn’t just affected by age—it can also be extremely cost-prohibitive. Insurance coverage for egg freezing can vary state-to-state, but unless their employer offers additional support, people often have to pay more than $20,000 out of pocket to freeze, store, and implant their eggs. Most people in their twenties aren’t thinking about freezing their eggs, and many can’t afford it. You can see the dilemma: it often isn’t accessible to people when it’s most effective.
.svg)
.jpeg)
