East Coast-Based Illume Fertility Sees Increase in Patients Electing to Freeze Their Eggs to Preserve Their Family-Building Options

NORWALK, Conn., Jan. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Illume Fertility, a leading fertility practice in the tri-state area that provides an exceptional patient experience, innovative care, and expertise to help patients achieve their fertility and family-building goals, has experienced an increase in patients electing to freeze their eggs to preserve their family-building options.

This is in line with national trend data from the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), who reported that nearly 30,000 individuals in the United States opted for the procedure in 2022, marking a significant jump from the 7,600 egg freezing cycles reported in 2015. This increased interest in egg freezing can be attributed to a variety of factors, which include the current political climate, increased public awareness of the method, and the growing number of employers offering fertility preservation coverage. Egg freezing is also utilized by people wishing to preserve their fertility before embarking on medical treatments such as gender-affirming care, surgery, or chemotherapy.

"Egg freezing offers a great opportunity to be proactive about your reproductive future, but the cost of treatment has historically been a big barrier," said Dr. Laura Meyer, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist at Illume Fertility. "With an increasing number of employers now offering fertility preservation coverage as part of their healthcare benefit, egg freezing has become more accessible to millions of individuals nationwide."

Arianna Del Bene, a mother of two from Scarsdale, New York, discovered that she carried the BRCA2 gene at age 30, which increases her risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. Before proceeding with prophylactic surgeries to remove both her breasts and ovaries, Del Bene chose to freeze her eggs at Illume Fertility. "It's a relief to know that when I'm ready to grow my family again, my eggs will always be 30 years old," she said. "If I decide 10 years from now that I want to have another child, I won't have to worry about how old my eggs and I are."

Egg freezing became more mainstream in 2012, after the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) announced that it should no longer be considered an "experimental" procedure. The process involves a hormone stimulation protocol to mature eggs within the ovaries, which are then extracted during an egg retrieval procedure. The eggs are immediately assessed by an embryologist, then rapidly frozen through a process called vitrification. Once the eggs are cryogenically stored, they remain viable indefinitely.

"While egg freezing should never be viewed as an insurance policy or a guarantee of a baby, studies show that it increases a woman's chances of being able to successfully conceive in the future," said Dr. Meyer. "The younger you are when you freeze your eggs, the better - but even past age 35, egg freezing can still be a valuable option. Always consult a reproductive endocrinologist to assess your individual situation and determine if egg freezing is right for you."

Learn more and download Illume's free Guide to Egg Freezing by visiting illumefertility.com.

About Illume Fertility 

Illume Fertility is a leading fertility practice in the tri-state area that provides an exceptional patient experience, innovative care, and expertise to help patients achieve their fertility and family-building goals. Led by an award-winning team of eight highly credentialed, board-certified reproductive endocrinologists, many of whom have received Castle Connolly's prestigious Top Doc award, Illume Fertility specializes in a range of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) including intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). Illume Fertility's internationally recognized Gay Parents To Be resource hub provides specialized support for LGBTQ+ family building. For the last seven years, Illume Fertility has been recognized as a Leader in Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign. Illume Fertility is one of the largest fertility clinics and egg donation centers in the region, offering egg freezing, oncofertility preservation, and PCOS management, helping patients as young as 16. Illume Fertility is the only regional fertility clinic offering on-site holistic patient support services including nutrition counseling and acupuncture, as well as a network of mental health providers focused on fertility and family building.

Media Contact

Stacy Callahan, Astonish Media Group, 917-972-1101, [email protected]

SOURCE Illume Fertility