AOC is freezing her eggs. The reaction shows how far we still have to go

US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is freezing her eggs, and the world is talking about it.

That's a good thing.

The 36-year-old has been remarkably open about the process, sharing her fertility medications, injections, and some of the realities of egg freezing with millions of followers.

For an issue that has historically been discussed behind closed doors, seeing one of the world's most recognisable women talk so openly about her fertility is significant.

Every headline, interview, and social media post puts egg freezing in front of women who may never have thought about their own fertility or known what options were available to them.

But there's another side to all this attention.

The fact that a woman freezing her eggs is still considered major international news shows just how far we have to go.

Eight years ago, hardly anyone was talking about it

When I froze my eggs nearly eight years ago, at 28, it felt like nobody was talking about egg freezing.

It existed, of course. But it wasn't something my friends were doing or something women were openly discussing over dinner. My social media feeds weren't filled with women documenting injections or sharing what they wished they'd known about their fertility.

I chose to speak publicly about my experience because I couldn't understand why something that could have such an impact on a woman's future was talked about so little.

Eight years later, watching a US Congresswoman document that same process for millions of people feels like enormous progress.

But it also raises a bigger question.

Why does it take someone as high-profile as AOC freezing her eggs for us to have these conversations?

Fertility education hasn't kept pace with women's lives

Women are studying longer, building careers, starting businesses, travelling, finding partners later, and having children later.

Our lives have changed enormously.

Our fertility education hasn't necessarily changed with them.

Too many women still reach their 30s without understanding how fertility changes with age, what ovarian reserve means, what egg freezing can and cannot do, or even that fertility preservation is an option they might want to explore.

That doesn't mean every woman should freeze her eggs.

Far from it.

Egg freezing is a personal decision. It isn't an insurance policy, and it doesn't guarantee a baby in the future.

But women deserve to know their options before those decisions become more time-sensitive.

That's why seeing AOC talk about egg freezing so openly matters.

It isn't about whether another woman should make the same choice she has. It's about making conversations about fertility normal enough that women feel empowered to ask questions and make informed decisions about their own futures.

But knowing your options isn't the same as being able to afford them

There is another part of the conversation that shouldn't be ignored: cost.

AOC herself has spoken about having to save for the procedure.

She has also been sharing responses from women following her journey, including women saying they wish egg freezing was something they could afford.

And that's a problem.

Awareness is an important first step. But knowing an option exists and being able to access it are two very different things.

In Australia, a single elective egg freezing cycle can cost around $8,000 to $12,000 once treatment, medications, procedures, and other associated costs are taken into account, with ongoing storage fees on top. Some women may also need or choose to undergo more than one cycle, meaning the total cost can quickly climb into the tens of thousands.

For many women, that makes the decision not simply: "Do I want to freeze my eggs?"

It becomes, "Can I afford to?"

We should be able to talk about both things at once.

We can celebrate the fact that egg freezing is becoming more visible while also acknowledging that fertility preservation remains financially out of reach for many women who may want the option.

This is why the attention matters

Perhaps we shouldn't be asking why everyone is talking about AOC freezing her eggs.

Perhaps we should be asking why we haven't been talking openly about women's fertility for much longer.

When I froze my eggs eight years ago, these conversations felt incredibly rare. That experience, and my frustration at how little women were being told about their fertility and options, ultimately led me to create PreservHer, an independent egg freezing education platform designed to help women access the information I wish had been easier to find.

Today, a woman with millions of followers can show herself doing a fertility injection and spark an international conversation about egg freezing. That's progress.

But the extraordinary attention AOC's decision has attracted, alongside responses from women saying they wish they could afford to make the same choice, shows there is still a long way to go.

Egg freezing won't be right for every woman. The goal isn't to convince more women to freeze their eggs. It's to make sure women understand their fertility and their options early enough to make informed decisions for themselves.

I hope we reach a point where a woman choosing to freeze her eggs isn't considered extraordinary or headline-worthy.

Until then, if AOC sharing her experience encourages more women to start these conversations earlier, that's something worth celebrating.