Egg freezing costs up to $47,000, AOC's disclosure shows

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram she has been saving up to freeze her eggs, drawing attention to the price tag. The New York Democrat, 36, noted her insurance covers "not one penny" of the procedure.

A single elective egg freezing cycle in the United States typically costs $10,000 to $20,000, said Dr. Stephanie Kuku, a former gynecologist and senior adviser to the World Health Organization. The total tab can climb much higher when multiple cycles are needed, plus storage and implantation fees.

A single cycle, including hormone stimulation and retrieval, averages around $16,000, according to FertilityIQ, a fertility data and education platform. Location matters. In New York City, a 38-year-old woman who needs three cycles could face $47,000 in total costs, FertilityIQ found.

Many women need multiple cycles to reach a desired egg count. Dr. Marcelle Cedars, a professor and director at the University of California, San Francisco's Center for Reproductive Health, said women under 35 ideally freeze at least 20 eggs. Women over that age typically need more. Overall health and the facility's techniques also affect the required number of cycles, she said.

"For people without insurance coverage, that combination of upfront cost and uncertainty can make the decision especially difficult," said Danielle Melfi, CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility and Family Building Association.

Health insurance coverage for elective egg freezing is still the exception rather than the rule, Melfi said. Meaningful growth has come through workplace benefits. Around 22% of employers with 500 or more workers provided coverage in 2025, up from 5% in 2015, according to Mercer. Among companies with over 5,000 employees, 40% offered the benefit last year, compared with 8% a decade earlier. Even then, a common maximum lifetime benefit is around $20,000.