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62 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com F THE BODY By Kayla A.Greaves and Lexi Allen Freezing Motherhood For too long, women have been almost forced to choose between a career or a family, and the simultaneous pursuit of both has, at best, been at odds with one another, or, at worst, proven nearly impossible. Women's health needs and potential responsibilities as a caregiver are generally relegated to the private sector: motherhood is something that shouldn't touch their work and is done on their off-time. New policies to assist women delay motherhood are a step in creating a work environment supportive of women as individual females and mothers. Egg freezing is complicated and time consuming: women must first self-inject powerful hormones for several weeks, then undergo surgery to remove the eggs and prepare them for freezing. Currently, a few large corporations, such as Apple, Google and Facebook, offer their employees egg freezing coverage. And most insurance policies will only cover egg freezing if the individual is infertile as a result of medical problems. Eggs can be good for up to ten years, although that's an unusual length of time. is new egg freezing policy may have less to do with a progressive stance on gender and more to do with the tech- savvy companies' inclination to produce a technological solution to everything — this time, the problem is just more personal. Stephanie Kew, a 22-year-old recent university graduate, says that she is comforted by the knowledge that she can wait on motherhood and focus on her career. "Realistically, five to seven years from now my career will still be in the first stages," Stephanie explains. "I'll be discovering my key strengths and my niche in my field. I may not even be interested in motherhood at that time, but it would be nice to know that once I am ready, no matter how far along down the road that is, that my eggs are still viable." Stephanie isn't alone in feeling comforted by the option of egg freezing; in fact, one of the greatest benefits of egg freezing may be the comfort it provides and the stress it can alleviate. In a 2013 survey published in the "Journal of Fertility and Sterility," the majority of women who froze their eggs reported feeling "empowered." In a world where women are constantly reminded of their fading fertility and aging bodies, the option of egg freezing allows us a respite from the relentless reminders of our ticking biological clocks. e current technology for human egg freezing is based on technology developed by cattle breeders in the mid-20th-century. Although the success of egg freezing is unique to each woman's age, fertility, and general health, it's a relatively unsuccessful procedure. To date, there are "zero longitudinal studies on the health effects of exposing women's bodies to fertility medications." However, the majority of women who choose to freeze their eggs aren't twenty- somethings who prioritize their career over a family. e reality is that most are in their mid-thirties and haven't found the right romantic partner with whom to start a family. But a woman's eggs are significantly less fertile at thirty-something. By thirty-eight, a woman is unlikely find success in freezing her eggs. is raises the inevitable question: how, exactly, can egg freezing benefit such women? Because women now comprise almost half of the United States work force, egg freezing coverage may be a way to reduce companies' hiring and recruiting costs. Many women are eager to start a family while still developing their career. Others opt to delve into their career after raising children and, due to corporate policies that don't offer much help to the family- oriented woman, struggle with balancing both. Single mothers may find policies particularly difficult. Like our distinctly different bodies, women's desires for when, how, and where to begin their passage into motherhood are diverse. Offering us a variety of options, like on-site day-care facilities and the choice to work from home, will truly reveal to us whether women's reproductive needs and rights will become a standard part of company health benefits. Hopefully, this once-private issue is suddenly turning public. Regardless, the incorporation of women's reproductive health needs into the workplace is a long overdue and very welcome acknowledgement of the instrumental roles women occupy in the American workforce. THE FACT$ Before beginning the egg retrieval process, women must first self-inject powerful hormones for several weeks, then undergo surgery to remove the eggs and prepare them for freezing. This procedure typically costs women around $10,000 for each round, plus an additional $500 annually for egg storage.

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