“I think this will really allow so many more women greater options for family building, which is terrific,” says lead study author Dr. Samantha Pfeifer of the University of Pennsylvania. Successful IVF, for example, requires an adequate supply of sperm to be available when a woman’s eggs are retrieved, and sometimes that’s not possible. Freezing eggs means the eggs can be thawed whenever that robust supply of sperm is available. It’s also an option for couples who aren’t comfortable freezing embryos, which some see as the earliest form of life. “Now they have this as an option,” says Pfeifer.