There are many reasons women may decide to postpone starting a family. A demanding career and lack of a support system top the list of reasons why some women opt to wait. More and more females are freezing their eggs as “back up plans” to ensure they have the option to have a baby later on in life. While this idea buys time, it is costly. A new study breaks down the cost.
The finances of waiting
“We found, in order to create one additional live birth with the mechanisms of freezing either ovarian tissue or freezing eggs, it would cost society an additional $130,000,” Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UIC and lead author of the study said.
In the model used for the study, women at age 40 would attempt natural conception for six months before using assisted reproductive technology. After trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant on her own, the woman would either receive in vitro fertilization, or she would utilize either the frozen ovarian tissue or frozen eggs.
“In any scenario where a woman has undergone a procedure to freeze eggs or part of her ovaries for future use, and then she changes her mind, that is tissue that is never used,” Hirshfeld-Cytron said. “The cost estimates in our study are actually very conservative.”
Weighing the costs
For some, $130,000 seems astronomical. For others, the price tag is a side effect of waiting, but is reasonable and provide another option to conceive. Hirshfeld-Cytron says women are busy trying to “Super Mom,” juggling a job and parenthood.
“It’s also possible to argue that we could perhaps avoid these costs by providing an environment for young women that fosters career development and family-building at the same time,” she said.
