Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she is freezing her eggs

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, said she is freezing her eggs and wants to speak openly about choices facing women who are balancing careers and family.

Ocasio-Cortez, 36, shared videos of the fertility treatment on social media over the weekend, including footage of herself giving hormone injections. “This is a choice that I am making to feel more in control of my life,” she said, describing access to the procedure as “a very privileged position.”

Her disclosure came as she faces speculation about her political future. In an ABC interview on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez said she had not ruled out running for president in 2028 and also left open the possibility of challenging Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer for his New York seat. She said her immediate focus remained November's midterm elections.

Ocasio-Cortez said going public carried a “political risk” because women running for office face questions about marriage and children that men rarely face. She linked the decision to her advocacy for reproductive rights and said political leaders should normalize conversations about women's health.

Egg freezing involves hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries before mature eggs are surgically retrieved and preserved for possible future use through in vitro fertilization. The process can be expensive, is not always covered by insurance and does not guarantee a future pregnancy. Ocasio-Cortez said she had been saving for the procedure and considering it for a long time. She did not say whether she ultimately plans to have children.