AOC Says She Has 'No Regrets' After Publicly Revealing She Froze Her Eggs

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Aug. 15 she does not regret publicly revealing that she froze her eggs, posting the remarks on Instagram days after reports that she and her longtime partner, Riley Roberts, had ended their engagement.

Ocasio-Cortez addressed whether making a private medical decision public could carry political fallout. She recalled a question about whether the backlash might harm her career and answered firmly that she has no regrets.

"One question that I received earlier is: 'Do I regret coming out publicly about this due to all of the political negativity and the larger political context...would the backlash around this have any future impact on my career, and do I regret it for those reasons?'" she said. "And the answer to that simply is, no. I was born a woman, period, and I have no control over that, and I wouldn't want to change that."

Why She Shared Her Decision

The 36-year-old congresswoman said she wanted to help normalize conversations about family planning and reproductive health, particularly for working women who must balance career goals with personal and family plans. In an interview on ABC's "This Week," Ocasio-Cortez added that concerns about access to reproductive care under the Trump administration influenced her choice to speak openly.

"In this political environment where this administration is denying reproductive care to women across the country, from abortion rights to the ability to carry out a healthy pregnancy, I think it's important for us as leaders to have these conversations and share these processes, especially for working women across the country and normalize them," she told the program.

Expert Views On Egg Freezing

Experts say Ocasio-Cortez is far from alone. Danielle Melfi, CEO of Resolve—a fertility patient advocacy group—told USA TODAY that more women are choosing to freeze their eggs than in past years. "While egg freezing isn't a guarantee, it does help women feel like they have more time to make some of these decisions," Melfi said.

Medical authorities caution that egg freezing carries trade-offs. UCLA Health notes variable pregnancy success rates, financial barriers, and minor procedural risks as important considerations for those weighing the option.

Still, advances in reproductive technology, wider insurance and employer coverage, and a trend toward delaying parenthood are driving interest. Dr. Ilana Ressler, a reproductive endocrinologist at Illume Fertility, said, "Egg quantity and quality decline with age no matter how healthy or fit someone is. More women understand that now, and a growing number of them want to do something about it while they still have the option."

This reporting originally appeared on USA TODAY.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, speaks to the press next to former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil as he is greeted by family and friends upon arrival at Newark airport in Newark, NJ, on June 21, 2025. Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student who was one of the most visible leaders of nationwide pro-Palestinian campus protests, was released on June 20 from a federal detention center. Khalil, a legal permanent resident in the United States who is married to a U.S. citizen and has a U.S.-born son, has been in custody since March facing potential deportation.(Kena Betancur, AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, listens during a mark up meeting with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce committee on Capitol Hill on May 13, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images)

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Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, gestures after speaking on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on August 19, 2024.(Kamil Krzaczynski, AFP via Getty Images)

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for NY-14 on the floor prior to the start of The 118th session of Congress begins on Jan. 3, 2023. Republicans take over the U.S. House of Representatives with a slim majority and Democrats maintain a majority in the U.S. Senate.(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (L) and Aurora James attend The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City.(Mike Coppola, Getty Images)

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U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is escorted back to her vehicle after speaking at the Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas about what she saw at the area border patrol facilities on July 1, 2019(Briana Sanchez, El Paso Times via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee June 26, 2019 on Capitol Hill. The committee has voted to subpoena Conway after she failed to appear at a hearing focusing on "Violations of the Hatch Act Under the Trump Administration."(Alex Wong, Getty Images)

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., waits on a table at the Queensboro Restaurant, May 31, 2019 in the Queens borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez participated in an event to raise awareness for the One Fair Wage campaign, which calls to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to a full minimum wage at the federal level.(Drew Angerer, Getty Images)

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sheds a tear during a press conference calling on Congress to cut funding for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to defund border detention facilities, outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, Feb. 7, 2019.(SAUL LOEB, AFP/Getty Images)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Congresswomen wear white as they listen as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington on Feb. 5, 2019.(Jasper Colt, USA TODAY)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (C) join their fellow House Democratic women for a portrait in front of the U.S. Capitol Jan. 4, 2019 in Washington, DC. The 116th Congress has the biggest number of female members ever while the number of Democratic women in the House has grown from 16 to 89 since 1989.(Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greets House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prior to her ceremonial swearing in as a member of the 116th Congress on Jan. 3, 2019.(Hannah Gaber, USA TODAY)

Newly-elected House Members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, left, and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL), center, and Abby Finkenauer, D-IA, right, huddle from the wind and cold as they arrive to gather at the U.S. Capitol for a class photo on Nov. 14, 2018.(Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrives on stage to speak to her supporters during her election night party in the Queens Borough of New York on Nov. 6, 2018.(DON EMMERT, AFP/Getty Images)

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