More Women Are Freezing Eggs, But Are They Using Them?

More women than ever are choosing to freeze their eggs—but fewer are returning to use them.

A new UCLA Health study finds the number of elective egg freezing cycles nearly quadrupled between 2014 and 2021—from just over 4,000 to more than 16,000.

Yet, among women who froze their eggs between 2014 and 2016, only about 6% returned to use them within five to seven years.

Return rates were highest for women who froze their eggs later—between ages 38 and 42.

Researchers analyzed data from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, which tracks 90% of procedures in the U.S.

Their results also showed women are freezing eggs at younger ages. The average age dropped from 36 to just under 35 during the study period.

The lead author says while these findings suggest a shift in reproductive behavior, “It will be important to see how return rates for thawing evolve with a longer follow-up period. Over time, we may find that more young patients ultimately return to use their eggs.”

One encouraging finding from the analysis — success rates for live births using the participants’ frozen eggs were comparable to national averages for in vitro fertilization using fresh eggs.

Source: American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology