What to know about the odds of success in egg freezing as AOC, 36, starts fertility treatments
US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has begun the process of freezing her eggs — and is keeping her followers updated on social media.In a series of Instagram stories this past weekend, the 36-year-old “squad” member revealed she had been saving up for and contemplating the procedure for some time.She said she felt “empowered” to start while Congress is on recess and thinks her decision is “badass.”“This is a choice that I am making to feel more in control of my life,” Ocasio-Cortez, who has been engaged to Riley Roberts since 2022, said.“And if people want to make assumptions about my decision, let them make those assumptions.”Egg-harvesting may allow women to increase their chances of a successful pregnancy later in life, as women’s egg quality often declines rapidly in their mid-30s.Women may also freeze their eggs because of medical conditions such as cancer, endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts and PMOS, or before undergoing treatments such as chemotherapy that can damage fertilityBut what do the chances of having a baby from the process hinge on, and what can impact success rates?The procedure involves taking unfertilized eggs from the ovaries, then storing them at subzero temperatures until the woman is ready to have them fertilized and implanted — either in their own uterus or in a surrogate.Success rates depend heavily on the person’s age when the eggs were frozen and the total number of mature eggs stored.A study published in Fertility and Sterility found women under the age of 40 who froze their eggs had increasing success rates in terms of pregnancy based on the number of eggs stored:But how much the process realistically increases someone’s chances of having kids depends on several factors, according to Dr.
Jennifer Blakemore, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at NYU Langone Health.“It does depend on who you are, what your goals are and what you have,” Blakemore previously told The Pos...