U.S. congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 36, made headlines in August after she decided to publicly document her egg freezing journey online.
“My hope is that by sharing my experience, it can help others and perhaps normalize not keeping women’s bodies in the shadows,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram.
Her decision to freeze her eggs reflects a growing trend marked by women in their 20s and 30s pursuing one or more cycles of the procedure — a trend that doctors are seeing here in Canada, too.
“We can laud AOC for documenting her egg freezing journey because that was helpful,” said Dr. Rhonda Zwingerman, the chief medical officer at Toronto-based clinic Twig Fertility, because transparency from well-known people can help those considering similar journeys.
U.S. congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared multiple videos on Instagram, documenting her experiences while freezing her eggs. (Instagram/@aoc)
Over the last decade, egg freezing has become significantly more popular. According to data from the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS), there were 2,663 retrieval cycles for the purpose of freezing, or banking, eggs reported in 2025. Compare that number to 2013, when there were only 217 logged. The number of banked eggs has also shot up. In 2013, some 775 eggs were stored. Last year, there were more than 22,000 reported frozen eggs.
There are plenty of reasons behind the surge, experts say, with their patients citing high costs of living, career ambitions or even a lack of a partner as motivations for preserving their fertility.
“There is definitely a rise in elective fertility preservation,” CFAS president Dr. Mohamed Bedaiwy told CBC News. (“Elective” refers to procedures taking place for non-medical reasons, unlike those that take place ahead of cancer treatments that put fertility at risk, for example.)
Across Canada, people are opting to have children later — another reason behind egg freezing. In 1976, the average age of mothers at the time of birth was 26.7. By 2022, the average age at the time of delivery had climbed to 31.6, according to Statistics Canada.
But even as more people delay pregnancy, their fertile windows remain finite. A woman’s fertility — marked by egg quality and quantity — declines steadily, with a noticeable shift typically occurring at 32 and a faster decline starting at age 35.
For the second year in a row, Statistics Canada says the country recorded its lowest-ever fertility rate. We break down the stats, including which province is the lowest.
By freezing eggs, patients keep their options open, Zwingerman told CBC News.
Despite the surging interest in egg freezing, doctors warn that they can’t guarantee a successful pregnancy down the line, with odds depending on the number of eggs retrieved and the age of the patient at the time of retrieval.
“If you’re in your early 30s and you freeze 20 to 25 eggs, there’s about a 75 per cent chance you’ll have a baby,” Zwingerman said.
“There are many ways to define success,” she said. “To me, it’s successful if you’re able to retrieve somewhere around the number of eggs you anticipate a person should get based on their age.”
Egg freezing isn’t cheap
Some patients choose to undergo multiple cycles to increase their chances. Still, a single cycle is expensive — let alone two or three.
“That’s one of the main barriers,” Bedaiwy said. “Those who can afford it can do it, but those who cannot are deprived of that opportunity.”
Costs vary from clinic to clinic, but doctors who spoke to CBC News said that one cycle of egg freezing typically costs around $8,000, with another $2,000 to $8,000 for medication.
Some clinics, like Zwingerman’s, include a price breakdown on their sites.
“Depending on the dose of drugs someone needs, an entire cycle with treatment and all of the medication, along with a year of storage, could cost $11,000 to $16,000 ballpark,” Zwingerman said.
Generally, public funding for fertility treatments, such as IVF, varies from province to province and doesn’t cover elective egg freezing, but sometimes workplace benefits cover a cycle, or at least the medication required.
Around the world, patients typically have to foot the bill when underdoing elective egg freezing. But there are signs that that’s changing, at least by some employers in certain industries, like big tech. Several sports bodies, such as Spain’s soccer federation, Chelsea FC women’s team and the WNBA, have introduced measures to cover fertility treatments, including egg freezing. Still, the move isn’t without controversy.
Beyond costs, Zwingerman said other barriers exist, too, like geography or inflexible work environments.
“There are a lot of people who live exceedingly far from a clinic, so I would love to see financial support for those of us with labs in big cities to build outreach facilities further out,” she said.
For those interested in or simply curious about egg freezing, Zwingerman says booking a consultation at a fertility clinic is a good first step to learn about the procedure and everything it entails.
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that only about 11 per cent of reported people who froze their eggs had gone back to thaw them. But Zwingerman said she believes that figure will climb in the coming years.
“The key is don’t wait,” Zwingerman said. “There are published research papers that show people regret not doing it more than doing it.”
More people are relying on freezing their eggs so they can have children later in life. But at what cost? CBC’s Baneet Braich looks into how egg-freezing works, its challenges, and the growing support offered to people hoping to have a family one day.
