Egg freezing for elective purposes has created a unique discussion among women across the country. As observed in the article, Egg freezing promises to liberate women – but creepy corporatism looms, written by social affairs writer, Mary O’Hara, “increased popularity has prompted observations and concerns, some to do with the procedure and cost, and others to do with potential ethical and social ramifications.” Many articles and discussions are focused around this premise and the two ends of the spectrum: is it empowerment or entrapment?
Egg Freezing is Empowerment and Freedom
Many women, like Isobel Taylor—a 34-year-old art director from Los Angeles, and her friend Mollie Moore—a senior music industry executive in her mid 30s who froze her eggs, find egg freezing to be an empowering and freeing option that allows them to pursue their dreams—for them, that dream is to have a family one day. In the article, Taylor explains that egg freezing is a reasonable backup plan. With the right man not yet in her life, freezing her eggs helped to take away the stress. Taylor also shared that she knew she didn’t want to have kids before she was 37 and acknowledged the increased risk of genetic abnormalities and pregnancy loss at that age.
Egg Freezing is Entrapment
On the other end of the spectrum are the concerns that employers will use egg freezing to pressure female employees into delaying childbearing, and that egg freezing will cause women to change when they decide to have a family–in essence, causing them to delay when they will pursue motherhood. According to Josephine Johnston, a bioethicist in New York, there is another feature of egg freezing that requires greater scrutiny: how it might shape women’s working lives. “If [egg freezing] becomes normalized, she suggests there is a risk that women may feel subtly pressurized to do it by employers who want them to delay motherhood. It could also, she argues, become a convenient excuse for employers and government not to design more family and women-friendly policies.”
The Reality of Egg Freezing
Egg freezing is a personal decision. It may not be the best or right option for everyone, but for women like Moore, it was the right decision: “I want people to know that it’s an option,” she says. “I wish I’d done it younger. [My partner] and I will never regret doing it even if we never unfreeze them.”
At Shady Grove Fertility, our physicians believe that egg freezing is a great opportunity for women between the ages of 30 and 40 who wish to extend their fertility potential. After diagnostic testing (to see if egg freezing is a viable option) and consultation discussing your personal options, should you feel that freezing your eggs is the right decision, we have the experience, technology, and expertise to help you take the next step.
