The Bachelorette's Kaitlyn Bristowe Knocks Down Fertility Stigma

Former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe is taking her reproductive planning in her hands, and she’s not afraid to talk about it. After a fan had speculated she was pregnant based on allegedly getting her blood drawn, Bristowe set the record straight about the nature of her visit: she’s freezing her eggs.

And when a fan asked her on Twitter why she froze her eggs, the 31-year-old openly explained her empowering choice.

“I’m taking control of my future!” she wrote in a tweet on March 10. “As a woman there’s always pressure to have babies, and this puts my mind at ease for when IM ready.”

Bristowe’s fiancé Shawn Booth showed his support for Bristowe’s decision in an Instagram post this week.

“Always impressed by her strength & courage, but even more so after these past few weeks!” wrote Booth in the caption. “Very proud of her taking control of our future and continuing to empower others!"

Bristowe’s decision to be candid about her family planning steps is laudable, as it helps facilitate a dialogue around reproduction, and a women's ability to choose when and how she gets pregnant. According to data from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, a growing number of women are opting to freeze their eggs — the cost of the procedure varies from $7,000 to $15,000 without insurance, according to a report in Time — and the rate has grown seven-fold, NPR reports, from 2009 to 2013. However, the stigma surrounding talking about backup plans, like egg freezing, still exists. The stigmas are something Refinery29's own Global Editor In Chief, Christene Barberich, and Chief Content Officer, Amy Emmerich, discussed during National Infertility Awareness week in 2016, hoping to shed some light on the struggles women face when they are trying to have children.

While every woman has the choice to be as private or as vocal about their individual reproductive decisions, it’s great to see women like Bristowe openly talking about their choices. The ensuing discussion encourages women to take charge of their reproductive planning and explore available options that best fit their goals and health.