What Employers Offer Egg Freezing Benefits?

In recent years, egg freezing – also known as oocyte cryopreservation – has become an increasingly popular option for those who want to delay having children. This procedure involves the extraction and freezing of eggs for later use, potentially allowing you to have children at a time when you are more ready and able to do so. However, the procedure and storage can be pricey, with prices from $10,000 to $20,000 for one cycle plus the cost of storage.

To help offset these costs and retain employees, some employers have begun offering egg freezing as part of their benefits package. 

What percent of employers offer egg freezing as a fertility benefit?

When it comes to fertility benefits, the larger the company, the more likely they are to have egg freezing coverage. A Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans found that 11% of companies with 500+ people and 19% of companies with 20,000+ employees offer an egg freezing benefit. 

But even if you have coverage, it may not be enough. Of those employers offering fertility benefits, 60% have lifetime maximums with a median of $16,250.  Furthermore, many companies with fertility benefits require a diagnosis of infertility to cover the cost of egg freezing.

What employers offer egg freezing and fertility benefits?

To help offset these costs, some employers have begun offering egg freezing as part of their benefits package. Some industries, such as technology or healthcare, are more likely to offer fertility benefits as a way to attract and retain talent.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of the companies that offer free or subsidized egg freezing to their employees:

• Apple: In 2014, Apple became one of the first major tech companies to offer egg freezing to its employees. The company covers the cost of the procedure, up to $20,000 per employee, as part of its fertility benefit program.
• Facebook: Facebook also offers egg freezing to its employees as part of its benefits package. The company covers the cost of the procedure, up to $20,000 per employee, as well as other fertility treatments.
• Google: Google offers a similar benefit to its employees, covering the cost of egg freezing up to $75,000 per employee. The company also covers other fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF).
• Intel: Intel covers $40,000 of IVF expenses, including egg freezing for salaried employees and hourly workers.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn offers egg freezing as part of its fertility benefit program, covering the cost up to $10,000 per employee.
• Microsoft: Microsoft offers employees $50,000 to egg or sperm freezing.
• Spotify: In 2019, Spotify began offering egg freezing to its employees, covering the cost up to $10,000 per employee.
• Starbucks: Starbucks offers all full- and part-time benefit employees who work at least 20 hours a week a lifetime maximum of $25,000 for fertility services plus $10,000 for prescription drugs. 
• Vanguard: Vanguard works with Progyny to offer employees access to “smart cycles” including egg freezing. It’s unclear if there’s a lifetime maximum.
• Walmart: In 2022, Walmart partnered with KindBody to offer fertility benefits, including egg freezing, to associates (salaried, full-time hourly, and full-time vision managers after 12 months of employment). There’s a $20,000 individual lifetime maximum. 

When an employer offers egg freezing as part of its benefits package, it sends a clear message to employees that their reproductive choices are valued and supported. By covering some or all of the cost of this procedure, employers are acknowledging that many women face barriers when it comes to starting a family, such as career advancement or personal circumstances.

However, it’s worth considering the broader societal implications of egg freezing as a workplace benefit. While it can provide employees with greater reproductive freedom, it also highlights the fact that our current systems of work and family are often at odds with each other. In addition to offering egg freezing benefits, we need to work towards creating more family-friendly workplaces that support a range of family structures and life choices.

While [egg freezing benefits] can provide employees with greater reproductive freedom, it also highlights the fact that our current systems of work and family are often at odds with each other.

How to find out if your employer offers an egg freezing benefit

If you are wondering if your employer offers egg freezing as a benefit, here are three steps you can take to find out:

Check your employee benefits package

The first step in finding out whether your employer offers egg freezing is to check your employee benefits package. Many employers will include information about their benefits offerings in the employee handbook or on their company intranet. Look for keywords such as "fertility," "reproductive health," or "family planning" to find out if egg freezing is mentioned.‍

Ask your human resources representative

If you are unable to find information about egg freezing in your employee benefits package, speak with your human resources representative. They should be able to answer any questions you have about your employer's benefits offerings, including whether egg freezing is available.‍

Look for signs of a family-friendly workplace

Even if egg freezing is not explicitly mentioned in your employee benefits package or by your human resources representative, there may be other signs that your employer is supportive of family planning. Look for policies such as flexible work schedules, generous parental leave, or on-site child care. These policies may indicate that your employer values work-life balance and is supportive of employees who are starting or expanding their families.

What to do if your job doesn’t offer fertility benefits

If you are part of the majority of Americans who do not have an egg freezing benefit through your employer, there are other options. At Cofertility, we support our members with all the nitty-gritty details of egg freezing – like finding the best clinic, financing the journey, getting discounts on medications, and more. We offer two egg freezing programs:

• In our Split program, you can freeze and store half of your eggs retrieved for up to 10 years for free when you donate the other half to a family who can’t conceive otherwise.
• In our Keep program, you freeze and store your eggs for your own future use, with lower prices on things like storage and access to our community.

Our team is here for you every step of the way, and our online community connects you with others starting their egg freezing cycles at the same time for peer support.

Why most employers don’t offer egg freezing benefits

While egg freezing benefits are becoming more common, unfortunately the majority of Americans don’t have any coverage at all. 

The biggest reason for this is the expense. Most companies do not have the financial resources to offer this benefit. The cost of offering egg freezing can vary from $10,000 to $20,000 per cycle. Especially for smaller companies, the cost of offering egg freezing may simply be too high.

There are also ethical considerations that may prevent companies from offering egg freezing as a benefit. Some companies may be uncomfortable with the idea of offering a medical procedure that is not strictly necessary for an employee's health. Others may be concerned about sending a message to employees that they should focus on work and delay starting a family.

Summing it up

For those who are considering delaying having children, egg freezing benefits can be a valuable resource. And it benefits the employer too! It can help to promote gender equity in the workplace, attract and retain top talent, improve job satisfaction, and provide cost savings for employees. 

Unfortunately, the majority of Americans have zero coverage for egg freezing. However, as the benefits of egg freezing become more widely recognized, we will hopefully see more employers offering this benefit as part of their overall compensation package.  

Cofertility is in the “family” business, striving to make egg freezing and third-party reproduction more human-centered and accessible for all. Our Freeze by Co program allows you to freeze your eggs for free, when you give half to a family who can't otherwise conceive