The largest known study of elective fertility preservation has found that more women in the United States are freezing their eggs than ever before. However, only a small portion of patients return to thaw those eggs in the hopes of becoming pregnant.
The number of planned elective egg cryopreservation, or egg freezing, almost quadrupled nationwide between 2014 and 2021, from 4,153 to 16,436. Yet only 5.7 percent of these women returned to use their frozen eggs for in vitro fertilization (IVF) within the study’s 5- to 7-year follow-up period, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles found.
The peer-reviewed researchpublished online in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology August 2025 also showed that women are starting to freeze their eggs at an increasingly younger age. The average age of patients who had elective egg retrieval decreased from 36 years in 2014 to 34.9 years in 2021. The return rate for use was highest among patients who were older when they froze their eggs. Of people between the ages of 38 and 42 who froze their eggs, about 8 percent returned to use them.
Newsgroup rewiring spoke with the lead author of the study, Dr. Mabel Leea physician in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at UCLA Health, to discuss what the findings mean today about elective fertility preservation in the US.
This interview took place via email in two separate exchanges. Answers have been combined and edited for length and clarity.
What do you think of the data showing that relatively few patients return to use their eggs?
We cannot predict future fertility and cannot predict who will need or choose to use their cryopreserved eggs. Despite egg freezing, many patients will likely try to conceive naturally first, and unless they experience infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss, may never need their cryopreserved eggs.
However, when patients returned to warm their eggs, the results were reassuring and cumulative live birth rates were comparable to overall IVF results.
I think the findings from our study reflect that elective egg freezing is a way to increase the chance of pregnancy in the future, but is by no means a guarantee of pregnancy.
What are some of the reasons behind the low egg consumption reported in the study?
Our study is limited by the short follow-up time. Only 13 years have passed since planned oocyte cryopreservation became non-experimental, and only 11 years since the national database SART CORS [a national database that collates data on all assisted reproductive technology cycles] began reporting cycles for fertility preservation only.
The five- to seven-year follow-up time… limits our analysis of egg warming to only egg freezing cycles that occurred between 2014 and 2016, which may lead to an underestimation of How many people in total have returned to reheat their frozen eggs since 2014?. For example, people who froze their eggs in 2018 and returned in 2021 are not included. (Editor’s note: Other research shows that this will be the case in the long term perhaps 21 percent of all patients who freeze their eggs eventually become pregnant with supporting technology.)
Additionally, we have focused solely on egg freezing solely for fertility preservation; we excluded patients who freeze their eggs medical or cancer indications. It is more likely that these patients will need to return to use their eggs due to underlying conditions that affect their reproductive potential.
Tell me more about the differences in reproductive behavior by age or by other criteria such as education, income, generation and the like.
Although our study did not consider demographic factors other than race/ethnicity and geographic regions, it is well established in the literature that patients with higher socioeconomic backgrounds and higher education levels not only more likely to delay pregnancybut also be are more likely to have access to assisted reproductive technologies.
The exponential increase in the number of patients undergoing elective egg freezing, and at younger ages, indicates that these technologies are becoming more widely accepted and used among younger generations than among older generations.
What are some of the key technological developments that have helped improve storage and post-thaw success rates?
The most significant technological advancement that has improved egg freezing success rates is the introduction of vitrification as a technique. (Editor’s note: Vitrification is an ultra-rapid cooling cryopreservation method using chemical solutions or cryoprotectants.)
Prior to vitrification, freezing techniques often resulted in damage to the eggs. … The technique has significantly improved outcomes, with survival rates of more than 90 percent. So far, the evidence shows that human embryos and eggs can be cryopreserved indefinitely. Just a few months ago, a baby was born using an embryo cryopreserved in 1994.
Is there anything else you’d like to add that I didn’t ask?
This is the largest U.S. study to date on elective fertility preservation and provides insight into the marked shift in reproductive behavior as more women delay pregnancy to pursue education, career and personal goals. Within this context, egg freezing offers a powerful and effective form of reproductive autonomy and flexibility.
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