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The Surprisingly Lucrative Egg-Freezing Industry Offers More Women a Fertile Future

(Axios) A lucrative industry for egg freezing has sprouted in the past 10 years, allowing women to postpone pregnancy. Experts say easy access to the procedure isn’t translating into more women using the eggs they put on ice.

The big picture: Nearly 90% of women said they were happy they froze their eggs, regardless of whether they will ultimately get used, according to FertilityIQ, an educational and reviewing site for fertility clinics.

Context: While the U.S. birth rate is at an all-time low, women are regarding the fertility business as an extension of family planning. They’re freezing their eggs as a precaution even if they’re never diagnosed as infertile.

Egg freezing has become much more affordable. And while some companies offer insurance coverage for the procedure, only 30 Fortune 500 companies offer coverage, CNBC reports.

It also helps free up the societal pressures to find a partner before their mid-30s, when estrogen levels peak, in order to have a family.

On average, women spend $15,000 to $20,000 per extraction cycle in addition to about $1,000 a year to store them at a facility, FertilityIQ tells Axios.

To tap into those eggs for in vitro fertilization (IVF) could cost thousands of dollars more.

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