Why D.C. doctors are seeing more young people preserve their fertility
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D.C.-area doctors have seen a large uptick in younger people seeking fertility testing or to preserve eggs or embryos.
Why it matters: This comes as people are increasingly delaying parenthood. D.C. is tied with Massachusetts for the country's highest average birthing age — 32.
The big picture: There was a huge boom in egg freezing during Covid, as people had more time on their hands and also took a break from dating.
- This in part contributed to more awareness and conversation around fertility preservation and the increased pregnancy risks that come with age and fertility preservation, local doctors tell Axios.
What they're saying: "There used to be a lot more of a stigma against talking about one's fertility," says D.C. reproductive endocrinologist Xiaohong Liu. "[But now,] people are more aware, people are more willing to share their journeys."
Simultaneously, more companies are offering fertility benefits to help cover expensive procedures.
- The average price for one egg-freezing cycle comes in at $11,000, and several rounds are often necessary. Plus, it can cost around $2,000 annually to store retrieved eggs.
- Some full-time workers get second jobs just so they can take advantage of the additional employer's fertility benefits.
Zoom in: D.C. reproductive endocrinologist Carter Owen says she's particularly seeing more people in their late 20s and early 30s preserve their fertility, which she attributes in part to increased awareness and benefits.
- "I've had a lot of people be like, 'You know, it wasn't really top of mind, but it's covered by my insurance, so why not?,'" says Owen.
By the numbers: Fertility group Kindbody saw a 50% increase in egg-freezing cycles between April 2023 and April 2024, the company tells Axios.
- This comes as the number of people who froze their eggs jumped 400% from 2012 to 2020, per data from the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology.
- And they're increasingly younger — about 35% were women under the age of 35, compared to 25% in 2012.
Meanwhile, 46% of large employers — aka those with 500-plus employees — offer IVF coverage as of 2023, up from less than a quarter in the 2000s and 2010s, said workplace consulting group Mercer.
- The fertility benefits group Progyny has more than doubled since 2020 its number of clients headquartered in the DMV, and the group WIN has tripled its area client base since 2021, representatives tell Axios.
- Meanwhile, the federal government recently began offering fertility coverage to employees.
The intrigue: Medicaid and D.C. Healthcare Alliance must cover D.C. residents' infertility diagnosis and treatments under a bill approved last year; however, it won't apply to private insurers until 2025.
Context: Egg freezing is still a relatively new procedure and became more mainstream after the American Society for Reproductive Medicine announced in 2012 that it was no longer designating it as "experimental."
Reality check: "This is not 100%. This is an insurance policy," says Owen.
- The overall chance of a live birth from frozen eggs is about 39%, per a study of egg-freezing data from NYU's Langone Fertility Center.
- This has led some critics to assert egg freezing is a way for companies to make money by capitalizing on people's anxieties — and that its high price tag limits access.