Vitrification significantly improved egg survival: “A Review of Best Practices of Rapid-Cooling Vitrification for Oocytes and Embryos: A Committee Opinion,” Fertility and Sterility 115, no. 2 (2021): 305–310, doi.org/​10.1016/​j.fertnstert.2020.11.017.

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lifted the “experimental” label on egg freezing: American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) Committee Report, “Mature Oocyte Cryopreservation: A Guideline,” Fertility and Sterility 99, no. 1 (2013): 37–43, doi.org/​10.1016/​j.fertnstert.2012.09.028.

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More than nine hundred babies: Charlotte Schubert, “Egg Freezing Enters Clinical Mainstream,” Nature, October 23, 2012, scientificamerican.com/​article/​egg-freezing-enters-clinical-mainstream/.

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With that designation: ASRM and SART Committee Report, “Ovarian Tissue and Oocyte Cryopreservation,” Fertility and Sterility 90, no. 5 (2008): 241–246, doi.org/​10.1016/​j.fertnstert.2008.08.039.

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Despite the society’s recommendation: Briana Rudick, Neisha Opper, Richard Paulson, Kristin Bendikson, and Karine Chung, “The Status of Oocyte Cryopreservation in the United States,” Fertility and Sterility 94, no. 7 (2010): 2642–2646, doi.org/​10.1016/​j.fertnstert.2010.04.079.

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after reviewing nearly: Josephine Johnston and Miriam Zoll, “Is Freezing Your Eggs Dangerous? A Primer,” New Republic, November 1, 2014, newrepublic.com/​article/​120077/​dangers-and-realities-egg-freezing.

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“There are not yet sufficient data”: ASRM and SART Committee Report, “Mature Oocyte Cryopreservation,” 42.

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simply to delay childbearing: It could be argued that there wasn’t enough quality research to go on even when it came to removing the experimental label from the procedure. At the time, only four randomized clinical egg freezing trials had been conducted. And of the 981 fairly small egg freezing studies ASRM reviewed, only 112 addressed safety and efficacy concerns.

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“While a careful review of the literature”: “Highlights from the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine,” Texas Fertility Center, October 22, 2012, ASRM, txfertility.com/​wp-content/​uploads/​2014/​01/​ASRMeggfreezerelease.pdf.

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in its 2008 report: ASRM and SART Committee Report, “Essential Elements of Informed Consent for Elective Oocyte Cryopreservation,” Fertility and Sterility 88, no. 6 (2008): 134, doi.org/​10.1016/​j.fertnstert.2007.10.009.

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“while this technology may appear to be”: ASRM and SART Committee Report, “Mature Oocyte Cryopreservation,” 41.

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“Marketing this technology”: ASRM and SART Committee Report, “Mature Oocyte Cryopreservation,” 41.

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Apple and Facebook announced: Danielle Friedman, “Perk Up: Facebook and Apple Now Pay for Women to Freeze Eggs,” NBC News, October 14, 2014, nbcnews.com/​news/​us-news/​perk-facebook-apple-now-pay-women-freeze-eggs-n225011.

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debate ensued: Miriam Zoll, “Freezing Eggs Puts Women and Infants’ Health at Stake,” New York Times, October 16, 2014, nytimes.com/​roomfordebate/​2014/​10/​15/​freezing-plans-for-motherhood-and-staying-on-the-job/​freezing-eggs-puts-women-and-infants-health-at-stake.

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nearly 115,000 women: I obtained the numbers of patients who froze eggs for non-medical reasons from 2009 to 2022 from SART directly.

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“Not since the birth control pill”: Emma Rosenblum, “Later, Baby: Will Freezing Your Eggs Free Your Career?,” Bloomberg, April 17, 2014, bloomberg.com/​news/​articles/​2014-04-17/​new-egg-freezing-technology-eases-womens-career-family-angst.

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Chapter 4

Dr. Ruth Lewis: At one of her first egg freezing appointments, Remy introduced me to her doctor as a friend and someone writing about egg freezing. I agreed not to use her doctor’s real name.

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“a crackling network”: Rachel E. Gross, Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2022), 161.

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conceived at the same rates: Alexandra Farrow, M.G.R. Hull, K. Northstone, H. Taylor, W.C.L. Ford, and Jean Golding, “Prolonged Use of Oral Contraception Before a Planned Pregnancy Is Associated with a Decreased Risk of Delayed Conception,” Human Reproduction 17, no. 10 (2002): 2754–2761, doi.org/​10.1093/​humrep/​17.10.2754.

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roughly 20 percent: Guttmacher Institute, “Contraceptive Use in the United States by Method,” May 2021, guttmacher.org/​fact-sheet/​contraceptive-method-use-united-states.

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female sterilization: United Nations, “Contraceptive Use by Method 2019,” 2019, digitallibrary.un.org/​record/​3849735.

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which proved 99 percent effective: Dani Blum, “Despite Encouraging Research, a Male Birth Control Pill Remains Elusive,” New York Times, March 25, 2022, nytimes.com/​2022/​03/​25/​well/​male-birth-control-pills.html.

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An injectable hydrogel: Paul Anderson, Damien Bolton, and Nathan Lawrentschuk, “Preliminary Results of a First in Human Dose-Ranging Clinical Trial of ADAM, a Nonhormonal Hydrogel-Based Male Contraceptive,” Journal of Urology 209, no. 4 (2023), doi.org/​10.1097/​JU.0000000000003352.08.

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About 65 percent of reproductive-age women: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Current Contraceptive Status Among Women Aged 15–49: United States, 2017–2019,” 2020, cdc.gov/​nchs/​products/​databriefs/​db388.htm.

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four in ten women: Kaiser Family Foundation, “Contraception in the United States: A Closer Look at Experiences, Preferences, and Coverage,” 2022, kff.org/​womens-health-policy/​report/​contraception-in-the-united-states-a-closer-look-at-experiences-preferences-and-coverage.