Why Freeze Your Eggs? 7 Reasons People Choose Egg Freezing

Just like there are numerous ways to build your family, on your own timeline, there are equally as many reasons you might want to wait to do so. You don’t have to adhere to one “right” reason to delay parenthood for however long you want - and assisted reproductive medicine makes it possible to do so, whatever your “why.”  

Egg freezing allows you to consider more options for the future without some of the urgency to put your life on hold to start a family right now. Maybe you’re mainly focused on career milestones or furthering your education at the moment, navigating the ever-changing dating scene, or dealing with a medical condition that is taking priority. Or, you could just be thinking about the high cost of living and need to press pause on your family planning timeline until further notice. All of these are valid choices, and we’re here to support you through them.

Up ahead are seven common reasons people choose to freeze their eggs. Understanding all of these factors may lead you closer to deciding whether egg freezing is the right step for your own journey.

1. You’re experiencing “the mating gap”

Everyone’s decision is different, and there’s not necessarily a “top” or most “popular” reason people decide egg freezing is best for them. You might think that most egg freezing decisions are career-related (and for some people, they are).

But Yale University medical anthropologist Marcia Inhorn discovered something different when doing a qualitative study of women who chose to freeze their eggs. A recurrent theme in her interviews, published in the 2023 book Motherhood on Ice, is of the “mating gap.” Many women Inhorn spoke to postponed pursuing parenthood because they had not found a compatible reproductive partner to share their life and family with.

This shortage of partners creates what she terms the mating gap, making egg freezing more about a response to relationship timing rather than career planning.

2. You simply need more time.  

Part of Inhorn’s research also identifies a term called “reproductive waithood.” Not only are many women waiting (voluntarily or involuntarily) to start a family with the “right” partner, it’s also common to be waiting for other things, including readiness for children after either hitting certain career milestones, having particular travel experiences, or being more mentally prepared to be a parent.  

Plus, with more awareness around reproductive health and egg quality, which tends to dip after your mid-thirties, people are choosing to wait to start their family. However, they may be taking proactive steps to preserve their eggs in the meantime.

3. You're facing medical treatment that could affect fertility

We hope this is not the case, but sometimes, egg freezing comes about in a bit of a hurry. It could be a cancer diagnosis that will require treatment—and something like the side effects of chemotherapy can send you into early menopause. Other medical conditions can contribute to your decision, too. Perhaps you have certain autoimmune conditions such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis which may affect your fertility, and the best choice for you right now is to freeze your eggs while you focus on your health.

Egg freezing can be an option for fertility preservation before certain surgeries or procedures on your reproductive organs, including endometriosis-related procedures or ovarian cyst removals, that could have an impact on your egg quality or ovarian reserve.

4. The world has changed, and so has family planning

In general, beyond personal preference to wait longer to start a family and the idea of the mating gap that Inhorn identified, social shifts have happened even over the last 50 years that are causing people to get married or find long-term partnerships later. For example, people on average got married 7 years older in the year 2025 than they did in 1975, per data from the U.S. Census Bureau.  And as a result, people may be starting their families later in life than their parents did.

Career paths have also become more non-linear, partially due to the rising cost of living across the U.S., plus housing expenses, student loan debt, and the cost of childcare and even basic necessities for having a baby (have you checked out the damage inflation has done on diaper prices lately?). Financially, deciding to parent and at what time will be one of the biggest decisions you make in your life.

5. You want more emotional “security” for your future

It’s natural to feel anxious when you don’t have a clear picture of your life plan. Things can feel out of control, and egg freezing is one way to feel more prepared or more in control of your future.

Having eggs frozen, for whenever the time is right, could offer you some peace of mind, put less pressure on your dating life—and cope with so much social pressure, family pressure, and other outside pressure to become a parent right away. Your frozen eggs might be one way to cope with the uncertainty of it all, not that any one reproductive choice can eliminate all uncertainty, of course.  

6. You have a family history of early menopause

Menopause is a less taboo topic than it was even five or ten years ago, and it’s worth asking other people in your family when they went through their hormonal shifts. Since the average age for menopause in the U.S. is 52, undergoing either perimenopause symptoms (like hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and more) or a pause in menstrual periods for a full year or more before age 45 is considered “early menopause.” About 5% of people go through menopause this early, according to the Office on Women’s Health, and experts suggest this is hereditary.

Once you talk to your immediate family, and then a healthcare provider, it may be worth researching preserving your eggs in the long run.

7. You’re starting gender affirming care

LGBTQ+ families may decide to look into egg freezing if one of the family members is transgender or gender diverse and undergoing gender affirming care. After all, about 25 to 50% of transgender people are already parents, according to studies (or want to be in the future).

If you or your partner are in the process of medically transitioning, and may wish to have a genetic child at some point, there are options for you. Fertility preservation via egg freezing is one of them. For anyone assigned female at birth and considering an oophorectomy (removal of ovaries), a hysterectomy, or testosterone therapy, freezing your eggs could be one avenue on your journey.

Whatever your reason for thinking about egg freezing, you’re not alone. Learn more about how Sunfish can support your decision through our Egg Freezing Success Program.

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