{"id":22296,"date":"2025-11-11T17:04:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T22:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/2025\/11\/11\/best-age-to-freeze-eggs\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T17:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T22:04:08","slug":"best-age-to-freeze-eggs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/2025\/11\/11\/best-age-to-freeze-eggs\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Age to Freeze Eggs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to Egg Freezing<\/h1>\n

Aging really messes with your head. One minute, you\u2019re spiraling about the years flying by; the next, you\u2019re hyping yourself up with affirmations like, \u201cYou\u2019re only as old as you feel!\u201d Personally, I feel 25 even though my feet are firmly planted in 30-something territory. Unfortunately, biology doesn\u2019t care about my feelings, and lately, I\u2019ve been wondering if my fertility agrees.<\/p>\n

Considering Egg Freezing<\/h2>\n

During a recent trip to my gynecologist, I admitted I was (quite) single and not currently interested in kids, but had been thinking about egg freezing in case I want them in the future. Unfortunately, cost \u2014 it can be up to $20,000 a cycle without insurance \u2014 is a major issue for me. <\/p>\n

I expected my doctor to aggressively push me to find a way to come up with the cash, so I was surprised when he told me not to worry because \u201c40 is the new 30\u201d for pregnancy and that I didn\u2019t have to assume my eggs would be dust in eight years. While that was comforting to hear, I wanted to dig deeper.<\/p>\n

Trends in Pregnancy and Fertility<\/h2>\n

In recent years, more women have been having children at older ages. For the first time, in 2023, there were more births among women 40 and older than teenagers, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics released earlier this year. It\u2019s part of a decades-long trend of American women, especially those under 30, having fewer children. But the driving factor isn\u2019t that fewer women are seeing fertility declines in their 40s \u2014 it\u2019s more about medical advancements, changing societal attitudes around motherhood and the cost of raising kids, experts told NBC News.<\/p>\n

Postponing Parenthood<\/h2>\n

Dr. Lucky Sekhon, a reproductive endocrinologist in New York City, tells TODAY.com that in her practice she\u2019s noticed people postponing having kids because they \u201cwant to be responsible and wait until they\u2019re financially stable\u201d and to find the right partner. So, if you\u2019re in your 20s or 30, considering fertility preservation but hesitant to pursue it just yet, here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n

When Does Female Fertility Start to Decline?<\/h2>\n

While more women have been having children at older ages in recent years, \u201cthe harsh reality is that biology has not changed,\u201d Dr. Sigal Klipstein, chair of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine\u2019s ethics committee and infertility treatment expert, tells TODAY.com. The main aspects of female fertility that decline with age are egg quality and quantity \u2014 the uterus doesn\u2019t age, Sekhon says \u2014 but the rate and extent of the decline can vary from person to person. Since every individual is different, \u201cage is the best we can do to guess someone\u2019s potential egg quality\u201d before they undergo fertility treatments, Sekhon explains.<\/p>\n

Best Reproductive Years<\/h2>\n

Although getting pregnant can be difficult at any age, for women, the \u201cbest reproductive years\u201d are the 20s, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Fertility then starts to decline in the 30s, especially after age 35. The average 30-year-old woman without fertility issues has a 20% chance of getting pregnant in a given cycle, compared to less than 5% at 40, the organization notes. \u201cHalf of women who attempt to conceive in their 40s will face difficulties,\u201d says Klipstein. Of course, some people will be able to get pregnant unassisted in their 40s, but being in this age group \u201cdoes increase the chance that they will need to rely on fertility treatments such as IVF (in vitro fertilization),\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Best Age to Freeze Eggs<\/h2>\n

Sekhon says the best age to freeze your eggs is \u201cyour late 20s to your very early 30s.\u201d When a woman freezes her eggs in her 20s, there\u2019s a baseline 20-25% chance of them creating abnormal embryos, Sekhon explains. That number goes up to 30% in the mid-30s, and by 37-40 years old, there\u2019s a 50-70% chance of abnormal embryos. \u201cWhen we freeze eggs, we\u2019re still working within the confines of a very inefficient system,\u201d Sekhon explains. This is because each egg has a low conversion rate of egg to healthy embryo.<\/p>\n

Factors Affecting Fertility<\/h2>\n

So, the older you are when you freeze your eggs, the more eggs you\u2019ll need to feel confident in the outcome down the line, but the harder time you may have getting as many high quality eggs as you want. Essentially, the older you are when you freeze your eggs, the less likely it is that you\u2019ll have a healthy pregnancy from those eggs, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.<\/p>\n

Race and Fertility<\/h2>\n

Some research has suggested that women of certain races experience higher rates of fertility than other populations, such as Black and Hispanic women. Lack of access to or delaying medical care may play a role, but some research has still found higher rates of infertility in Black women even with access and adequate health insurance coverage, Klipstein explains. Based on her experience, Sekhon says one explanation may be a systemic bias among providers, who may falsely believe that Black women are immune to infertility, which \u201cgoes back to the days of slavery,\u201d when enslaved Black women were forced to reproduce. As a result, a doctor \u201cmight inadvertently delay someone from getting the care they need,\u201d Sekhon adds.<\/p>\n

Extending Fertility Naturally<\/h2>\n

\u201c(Fertility treatment) is a significant expense and not everyone has access to it, and it isn\u2019t fair,\u201d says Sekhon. Reducing costs has to be legislated, she adds, but in the meantime, she encourages people who work for companies that may be in a position to cover it to start that conversation with HR. There are also some grants that can help with treatment coverage. But for people who simply can\u2019t afford to pay for egg or embryo freezing, is there a natural way to extend fertility? While fertility does decline with age, research has found that certain lifestyle choices \u2014 like maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol and smoking, moderating caffeine, exercising sensibly and managing stress \u2014 can all play a role in supporting fertility. Smoking in particular can decrease your egg count and quality, Sekhon points out.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re deciding whether egg or embryo freezing is the right path for you, both Klipstein and Sekhon believe it\u2019s a choice that requires a lot of thoughtful consideration. \u201cThis decision is a highly personal one, and I recommend that women have honest and in-depth conversations with their physicians regarding the best options for their particular situations,\u201d says Klipstein. No matter which path you choose, Sekhon says to remember you can only \u201ccontrol things to a point,\u201d and you\u2019ll never know how something will work out until you try.<\/p>\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n