Episode 4: How Eboni K. Williams paid for her egg freezing

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Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs in the world. So why are some women choosing to do it alone? A growing trend among some women is choosing to do motherhood by themselves, taking on all the responsibilities, both mentally, emotionally, and financially.

Single motherhood is still considered by many to be taboo and many in our community look down on women raising children on their own. That hasn’t stopped a growing number of women from still choosing that path. The journey can look different for each woman. In this new and honest limited series, “Choosing Motherhood with Eboni K. Williams,” theGrio host, and journalist Nicole Ellis talk about their individual decisions regarding single motherhood and all that comes with it. Topics will include defining single motherhood, egg freezing, donor selection, financial costs, concerns, and dealing with criticism from societal stigmas.

In episode four of “Choosing Motherhood with Eboni K. Williams,” Williams breaks down paying for the procedure without the help of an employee-sponsored benefit. According to the New York Times, in 2015, just 5% of large employers covered egg freezing. Last year, nearly one in five did. Companies like Forbes, Starbucks, and Amazon are providing packages that include egg freezing benefits between $10,000 to $50,000 in order to recruit top women candidates. The Times also reported an increase of 300% in fertility procedures, going from about 7,600 recorded procedures in 2015 to 29,803 in 2022. 

According to Fertility IQ, the average cost of an egg freezing cycle is $11,000, which includes hormone stimulation, egg retrieval, and lab processing. There are additional costs, around $5,000 for medication, plus fees for storing the eggs. The cost of IVF (in vitro fertilization) is even higher, around $24,000.

Tell us your thoughts on egg freezing and IVF at theGrio.com or on our social media pages.