New York City Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offered followers an unusually personal glimpse into her fertility plans on Saturday, opening up on social media about the process of freezing her eggs.
In a video posted to her Instagram Stories, the 36-year-old congresswoman filmed herself administering fertility medication as part of the preparation for egg freezing.
Ocasio-Cortez has been in a relationship with her longtime fiancé, Riley Roberts, for more than a decade. The couple became engaged in 2022.
Speaking directly to the camera, she reflected on the gendered expectations women often face around careers and family planning. “This is just not something that men deal with,” she said. “Men run for office, or frankly, they interview for jobs and people don’t think in the back of their mind, ‘OK this guy’s running for office, how old is he? Oh, well is he gonna wanna start a family?’”
“This is a choice I am making to feel more in control of my life,” said Ocasio-Cortez, who has served in Washington since being sworn into Congress at age 29.
The progressive lawmaker told followers she wanted to be transparent about the experience. “I want you all to see that. And because women can do anything, and I think it’s badass that I’m going to be giving myself shots in the green room [as I] get my glam on,” she said, referring to preparations ahead of a Sunday appearance on ABC’s This Week.
Her remarks suggested that Ocasio-Cortez is keeping family planning flexible while she weighs what may come next in her political career.
Although speculation about a potential bid for higher office has followed her for years, she has not ruled out that possibility.
AOC shared her incredibly candid journey of freezing her eggs in a Saturday instagram post
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and fiance Riley Roberts leave the 2021 Met Gala
Appearing on ABC’s This Week with Jonathan Karl, AOC noted: ‘I’m focused on winning the midterms. I’m running for Congress right now.’
She added: ‘I haven’t ruled out the possibility, and I’m very humbled to the tremendous amount of support out there,’ when prodded about a run for President.
She also noted that ‘anything is possible,’ when asked if she would challenge fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer, the current Minority Leader in the US Senate, for his seat in 2028.
In an interview with POLITICO last month, she responded: ‘I mean, I can’t say that I’ve ruled it out,’ when asked about a presidential campaign.
Back in May, while speaking at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics on Friday, Ocasio-Cortez was asked by legendary Obama strategist David Axelrod whether she planned to run for higher office in 2028.
‘They assume that my ambition is positional,’ Ocasio-Cortez replied, adding ”They assume that my ambition is a title or seat, and my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country.’
She then outlined a wishlist of socialist policies she would like to see implemented across the United States.
‘Presidents come and go. Senate [and] House seats, elected officials come and go, but single-payer healthcare is forever,’ she noted, while attendees cheered,
‘A living wage is forever. Workers’ rights are forever. Women’s rights. All of that.’
‘When you aren’t attached. When you haven’t been like fantasizing about being this or that since the time you were seven years old, it is tremendously liberating,’ the New York Democrat continued, adding, ‘Because I get to wake up every day and say, ‘How am I going to meet the moment?’
While female members of Congress having children is becoming more common, it is still incredibly rare. AOC’s Republican colleagues, Floridians Anna Paulina Luna and Kat Cammack, have both had children while serving in office.
After giving birth to her daughter last year, Cammack became the 15th congresswoman in U.S. history to give birth while serving in office.
Democratic Congresswoman LaMonica McIver of New Jersey, 40, is currently pregnant with her second child, which she is expecting this fall.
