AOC freezing her eggs opens up a much-needed conversation about fertility—and waiting to have kids

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is freezing her eggs. The New York congresswoman made the announcement recently in a series of posts to her Instagram Stories about what is driving the decision.

But while it’s becoming more common for women who aren’t ready to have children and who want to preserve the option for later in life, it’s definitely uncommon for a sitting congresswoman to open up about that choice.

Now the reveal has ignited a national conversation about fertility.

‘It can feel very daunting’

Ocasio-Cortez, known as AOC, began her series of posts by explaining why it’s important to her to be transparent about her journey. 

“I want to share this because I was weighing it for a very long time, and I was saving for it for a very long time . . . and it can feel very daunting,” she explained.

AOC added that women, whether young or old, often “aren’t taught” about their bodies, and therefore don’t know what to expect when changes come. 

Given women’s bodies are drastically understudied when compared to men’s, the argument makes a lot of sense. Doctors and scientists simply know a lot less about women’s bodies.

AOC, who is 36, may be attempting to do her part to change that.

Not only did she let the world know that she will be freezing her eggs, she’s actually documenting the entire thing on social media, from giving herself hormone injections while prepping for an on-air interview at ABC to getting her first ultrasound. 

“Political risk”

When speaking on ABC’s This Week, Ocasio-Cortez also explained that her choice to talk about her decision is even more important as the current administration has sought to take women’s choices about their bodies away. 

AOC said, “I think it’s important for us as leaders to have these conversations and share these processes, especially for working women across the country and normalize them,” she told host Jonathan Karl.

Still, AOC knows that talking about her choice publicly, essentially taking the narrative into her own hands, will come with criticism. She even acknowledged that doing so is a “political risk,” but clearly, it’s one she’s willing to take.

And the congresswoman was spot on. Immediately after AOC’s stories hit Instagram, the comments started rolling in—both on her page, and across the internet. 

“I love her for this”

Many women thanked the congresswoman for sharing her journey, or even began talking about their personal experiences with fertility. 

“I love her for this,” reads one comment on a social media post about the announcement. “I know many women around me that have done this or are thinking of doing it for a multitude of reasons (before a cancer treatment, unforeseen future health issues, focus on career) and it is a unique journey. It’s an insurance policy on their fertility and if you can afford it, why wouldn’t you do it?”
Other women posted videos about their experiences and said they wished that when they had been going through fertility treatments, there would have been more public conversations about what it entails. 

CNN’s Dana Bash, who underwent her fertility treatment, called AOC’s announcement “monumental for women serving in office.” In a video, she said that she’s talked to many female elected officials who have told her that they regret not having children due to their careers. 

“With technology, this is a new era because freezing your eggs wasn’t even possible a decade and a half ago. I went through IVF. It was very, very hard,” she explained, and at the same time, it wasn’t yet being talked about publicly. 

Even some conservative women seemed to get behind AOC’s decision.

Katie Miller, who is married to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and hosts a lifestyle podcast, wrote on social media, “We have historically low birth rates worldwide. If one woman wants to preserve her right to have children, which means more than having none—we should celebrate that.”
At the same time, Miller urged women not to wait to have children. “More women should get married and have babies younger, but too many women buy into the feminist lie and spend their childbearing years climbing the career ladder,” she added. 

Others conservatives echoed the idea that women who delay having babies are being sold a false promise. Allie Beth Stuckey, a conservative writer and commentator, wrote that AOC is “glamorizing the lie that women can have it all.” She continued, “You can’t. Biology is real and how you order your life makes or breaks your future.” 

Ocasio-Cortez’s announcement comes at a time when conservative leaders have been sounding the alarm of declining birth rates in the U.S.

At a March for Life event in 2024, Vice President JD Vance said, “Our society has failed to recognize the obligation that one generation has to another is a core part of living in a society to begin with. So, let me say very simply: I want more babies in the United States of America.” 

Regardless of all the rhetoric around AOC sharing her journey, which isn’t likely to slow down any time soon, the congresswoman seems to be making one thing clear: that she’s in charge of her own fertility and what she reveals about it.