Facebook and Apple Will Now Pay For Female Employees To Freeze Their Eggs

Facebook recently covered female employees who wanted to freeze their eggs and now starting in January, Apple will also cover the procedure, according to NBCnews. 

Both companies are the first major corporations to cover a procedure that didn't have any medical necessity behind it. Since having a high-powered career while having children can be extremely hard to do, most women are waiting later in life to start a family. Many women are also feeling the pressure to start a family before they are ready, due to their "biological clock" ticking. Now thankfully, women who work for Facebook and Apple, can now pick the time that's right for them to start a family.  Hopefully this is something other companies will start doing soon too.

Normally, the procedure costs around $10,000, plus $500 just to store the eggs! Apple and Facebook are now helping women who devote key childbearing years to building careers. Covering egg freezing can be viewed as a type of “payback” for women’s commitment, said Philip Chenette, a fertility specialist in San Francisco. Both companies are using different methods to cover the procedure, Apple covers the cost under fertility benefits and Facebook under surgery benefits. Both allow up to $20,000 since doctors recommend women freeze at least 20 eggs (at least two rounds of the procedure), since there is no guarantee that all the eggs will lead to a baby.

Many women have expressed this new found empowerment from the pressure of starting a family before they were ready. Christy Jones who is the founder of Extend Fertility, has said that, “The attitude toward egg freezing is very different and more positive, than just a few years ago. Women are making the proactive decision to freeze their eggs at a younger age, and the choice is more one of empowerment than 'this is my last chance'.

I think this is a great benefit for women! Companies are realizing how hard it is for women to be career focused while making the decision to wait to have a family since doing both at the same time can be extremely stressful and difficult. Since egg freezing is a costly procedure, many women probably didn't even consider it as an option for themselves.  Not only is it expensive, but it's not covered by medical insurance, since it's considered an elective procedure.  Now these benefits are available to women and that can help them still maintain an awesome career while starting a family when they are ready.