Extra girls are freezing their eggs, however few look like returning to make use of them, a brand new examine discovered.
The examine was led by researchers on the College of California, Los Angeles, and printed final month within the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It discovered that the variety of deliberate, elective egg freezing cycles elevated exponentially between 2014 and 2021, leaping from 4,153 to 16,436.
Notably, girls more and more selected to freeze their eggs at youthful ages, the examine discovered. In 2014, the typical age for egg freezing was 36. Seven years later, in 2021, that had dropped to 34.9 years of age.
“That is the most important U.S. examine up to now on elective fertility preservation, revealing insights into the clear shift in reproductive habits as extra girls delay childbearing to pursue training, careers, and private objectives,” Lindsay Kroener, a professor in reproductive endocrinology and infertility on the David Geffen Faculty of Medication at UCLA and senior creator of the examine, mentioned in an announcement.”
Girls could also be more and more opting out of getting kids
Regardless of the uptick in girls selecting to protect their eggs, fewer than 6% of those girls used their frozen eggs throughout the examine’s 5 to seven yr follow-up interval. Of people who did return to make use of their eggs, they tended to be between the ages of 38 and 42 years of age.
The examine’s findings observe earlier analysis that reveals an growing variety of girls are deciding to not have kids. A 2024 United Nations report discovered that world fertility is in decline. And different analysis suggests extra girls may be selecting to not marry, too. A 2019 Morgan Stanley examine based mostly on Census Bureau knowledge, projected 45% of prime working age girls (ages 25–44) can be single by 2030, up from 41% in 2018.
Girls could also be selecting to not have kids for plenty of causes, together with the rising price of childcare (and price of dwelling) and the truth that girls disproportionately really feel pressured to depart their jobs to take care of younger kids. Nevertheless, consultants say extra analysis is required earlier than coming to any robust conclusions.
“Will probably be necessary to see how return charges for thawing evolve with an extended follow-up interval. Over time, we could discover that extra younger sufferers in the end return to make use of their eggs,” Kroener mentioned.
