Cancer Survivor Elle Crofton Gives Birth at 37 Using 9 Eggs Frozen Before 2015 Treatment
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 29
Cancer Survivor Elle Crofton Gives Birth at 37 Using 9 Eggs Frozen Before 2015 Treatment
1 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 29
Summary
37-year-old Elle Crofton gave birth to her son, Harry, after using eggs she froze before chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant for myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare bone marrow cancer diagnosed when she was 25.
Nine eggs were retrieved in a single 2015 cycle after doctors briefly delayed her transplant; only three survived thawing, and just one became a viable embryo for transfer.
Crofton pursued IVF at 35 after deciding not to wait for a partner, underscoring how cancer treatment can reshape family-planning timelines for young adults.
About 80,000 U.S. adults ages 20 to 39 are diagnosed with cancer each year, and specialists say fertility preservation has become far more integrated into cancer care over the past decade.
Cost still limits access: one egg-freezing cycle typically runs $8,000 to $12,000, while the full process from storage to embryo transfer can total $15,000 to $20,000.