Companies Offering Coverage To Female Employees Wanting To Freeze Their Eggs

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Delaying motherhood has become popular, but it also comes with a price tag.

Michelle Licari, 36, always knew she wanted to have kids.

"I was all about finding Mr. Right," she said.

It took longer than expected so Licari and her husband decided to freeze her eggs.

"We were like, 'Let's bank some stuff for a rainy day,'" she said.

But as CBS 2's Weijia Jiang reported, that bank is pricey—about $10,000 to start, additional $500 a year for storage.

That's why Licari wishes she worked for Facebook or Apple, the first major corporations to offer coverage to female employees who want to freeze their eggs to delay parenthood.

Fertility specialist Dr. John Zhang says it's about time.

"There is a very limited window for a lady to have a baby. It's as simple as that," he said.

A spokesperson for Facebook says it added the option in January and will pay up to $20,000 for the procedure, whether it's medically necessary or not.

Apple will follow next year, Jiang reported.

But some critics wonder if these companies have ulterior motives for offering the benefit.

"They're offering to freeze their eggs so you can work longer for them. You don't have to take maternity leave, take days off to go to soccer games, it's beneficial to them. They're trying to make more money," Upper West Side resident Muriel Wilson said.

Licari, who runs two support groups for women trying to get pregnant, disagrees.

"A lot of them just can't financially do this, they don't have the means, so they don't have options," she said.

She says the coverage is simply an option to help women achieve their dreams of motherhood.

You Might Also Be Interested In: