Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) announced the completion of her egg retrieval on Sunday, capping off a two-week fertility preservation process she has documented extensively on social media, and said she plans to continue sharing updates with followers.
Ocasio-Cortez, 36, first revealed she had begun the process on Aug. 9, sharing the personal decision with followers via social media and framing it as part of a broader push to be more open about women’s health. She said at the time that she had kept her private life largely guarded but had been weighing the decision, and saving for the procedure, for years.
She livestreamed part of the process on Instagram, administering a hormone injection to herself on camera ahead of a scheduled appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” joking with viewers not to make the moment weird. “I think it’s badass,” she said of her decision.
The announcement came amid persistent chatter about Ocasio-Cortez’s political future, including speculation she could mount a presidential run in 2028, questions she has previously brushed off directly.
She has built a reputation for using social media to speak candidly about women’s health and reproductive issues, a focus that intensified following the Supreme Court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade and this year’s brief suspension of access to abortion pills.
Her openness has drawn a mixed reaction. Conservative commentator Katie Miller praised the decision, saying women preserving their fertility should be celebrated amid low birth rates, while other critics on the right questioned why Ocasio-Cortez, who was until recently engaged, hadn’t pursued starting a family the traditional way.
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Democrats and fertility advocates, meanwhile, credited her for destigmatizing a procedure many women undergo privately.
With the retrieval now complete, Ocasio-Cortez said she intends to keep documenting the journey and answering follower questions about the process going forward.