When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, began sharing her egg freezing process, she gave voice to questions I hear from patients every day – and that millions of women are asking themselves:

When should I think about freezing my eggs?

What are my chances of success?

How much does my age matter?

How much will it all cost? Is it worth it?

Part of the reason stories like AOC’s resonate is that fertility decisions are deeply personal and consequential, yet the information patients rely on to make them is too often lacking, opaque or downright misleading. Patients want candid guidance about what we know fertility medicine can do, what it can’t and where the science is still uncertain.

Egg freezing illustrates the challenge particularly well. It only began moving into mainstream fertility care about a decade ago. 

There is also an unusual lag built into measuring success: Freezing eggs is only the first step. The real test comes years later, when a woman returns to thaw those eggs and tries to use them to have a baby.

Egg freezing isn't a guarantee – or a gimmick

Because many women who froze their eggs in recent years haven't yet returned to use them, the industry is still collecting the long-term data patients........

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