The Big Freeze
A Reporter's Personal Journey into the World of Egg Freezing and the Quest to Control Our Fertility
-
- $13.99
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
A fascinating investigation into the lucrative, minimally regulated, fast-growing industry of egg freezing, from a young reporter on a personal journey into the world of cutting-edge reproductive medicine
“An engaging and groundbreaking book.”—Toni Weschler, MPH, author of Taking Charge of Your Fertility
Ovaries. Most women have two; journalist Natalie Lampert has only one. Then, in her early twenties, she almost lost it, along with her ability to ever have biological children. Doctors urged her to freeze her eggs, and Lampert started asking questions.
The Big Freeze is the story of Lampert’s personal quest to investigate egg freezing, as well as the multibillion-dollar femtech industry, in order to decide the best way to preserve her own fertility. She attended flashy egg-freezing parties, visited high-priced fertility clinics, talked to dozens of women who froze their eggs, toured the facility in Italy where the technology was developed, and even attended a memorial service for thousands of accidentally destroyed embryos.
What was once science fiction is now simply science: Fertility can be frozen in time. Between 2009 and 2022, more than 100,000 women in the United States opted to freeze their eggs. Along with in vitro fertilization, egg freezing is touted as a way for women to “have it all” by conquering their biological clocks, in line with the global trend of delaying childbirth. A generation after the Pill, this revolutionary technology offers a new kind of freedom for women. But does egg freezing give women real agency or just the illusion of it?
A personal and deeply researched guide to the pros, cons, and many facets of this wildly popular technology, The Big Freeze is a page-turning exploration of the quest to control fertility, with invaluable information that answers the questions women have been afraid to ask—or didn’t know they should ask in the first place.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Lampert debuts with a trenchant investigation of the egg freezing industry and the commodification of women's reproductive health. Doctors first recommended Lampert freeze her eggs when she was in her early 20s, shortly after an emergency operation on her remaining ovary (the other had been removed because of unrelated complications when she was 12). Providing a critical look at the egg freezing industry, Lampert reports on the scientific conferences, medical consultations, and promotional events she attended while deciding on whether to undergo the procedure as she entered her early 30s. For instance, she recounts going to an educational seminar at a venture capital–backed fertility clinic and contends that its claims to provide "insurance" against infertility promise more than the clinic can deliver (one freezing cycle has only a 75% chance of leading to a live birth). Despite this, Lampert suggests egg freezing still has significant benefits and describes how one of her interview subjects felt less pressure to settle for a romantic partner because freezing her eggs afforded her time to find a better match. Lampert ultimately chose not to undergo the procedure, but her evenhanded reporting will help those considering it sift the science from the hype. This will open readers' eyes.
