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More women are freezing their eggs, but few appear to be returning to use them, a new study found. The study was led by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and published last month in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. It found that the number of planned, elective egg freezing cycles increased exponentially between 2014 and 2021, jumping from 4,153 to 16,436. Notably, women increasingly chose to freeze their eggs at younger ages, the study found. In 2014, the average age for egg freezing was 36. Seven years later, in 2021, that had dropped to 34.9 years of age. “This is the largest U.S. study to date on elective fertility preservation, revealing insights into the clear shift in reproductive behavior as more women delay childbearing to pursue education, careers, and personal goals,” Lindsay Kroener, a professor in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and senior author of the study, said in a statement.” Women may be increasingly opting out of having children Despite the uptick in women choosing to preserve their eggs, fewer than 6% of these women used their frozen eggs within the study’s five to seven year follow-up period. Of those that did go back to use their eggs, they tended to be between the ages of 38 and 42 years of age. The study’s findings follow previous research that shows an increasing number of women are deciding not to have children. A 2024 United Nations report found that global fertility is in decline. And other research suggests more women may also be choosing not to marry, too. A 2019 Morgan Stanley study based on Census Bureau data, projected 45% of prime working age women (ages 2544) will be single by 2030, up from 41% in 2018. Women may be choosing not to have children for a number of reasons, including the rising cost of childcare (and cost of living) and the fact that women disproportionately feel forced to leave their jobs to care for young children. However, experts say more research is needed before coming to any strong conclusions. “It will be important to see how return rates for thawing evolve with a longer follow-up period. Over time, we may find that more young patients ultimately return to use their eggs, Kroener said.
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration blocked imports of spices this week from an Indonesian company amid widespread worries of radioactive contamination. The agency said it found cesium 137 in spicesspecifically clovesfrom Indonesian company PT Natural Java Spice that were shipped to California. The discovery marks the second food product imported from Indonesia found to have radioactive contamination, as recalls of potentially tainted imported shrimp expanded. “Products from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati and from PT Natural Java Spice will not be permitted to enter the U.S. market until these firms provide the FDA with information to adequately demonstrate that they have resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violations,” the FDA said in a statement issued Thursday. What is cesium 137? Cesium 137 is a radioactive isotope that is formed during nuclear fission. Its used in industry and chemotherapy, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is also present in the environment, largely due to nuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents, including the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and 2011s Fukushima nuclear accident. That environmental presence means trace amounts can be found in food. Foods contaminated with cesium 137 may pose a potential health concern, the FDA said, especially if people are exposed repeatedly to the isotope. The FDA is investigating the source of the contamination, it said. The Associated Press reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency, a nuclear watchdog, believes that the contamination may have come from an industrial site located near a shrimp processing plant in Indonesia. What products are affected by the FDA’s recall? Since August, the FDA has issued multiple recalls of shrimp, with more products affected this week. The list of recalled shrimp is as follows: Aug. 21, 2025: Southwind Foods, LLC Recall Aug. 22, 2025: Beaver Street Fisheries, LLC Recall Aug. 27, 2025: AquaStar (USA) Corp Recall Kroger Brand Aug. 28, 2025: AquaStar (USA) Corp Recall Aqua Star Brand Aug. 29, 2025: Southwind Foods, LLC Recall Expansion of original recall Sept. 19, 2025: AquaStar (USA) Corp Recall Expansion of original recall Sept. 23, 2025: Southwind Foods, LLC Recall Expansion of original recall Sept. 23, 2025: Lawrence Wholesale, LLC Recall Kroger Brand The FDA said that none of the contaminated spices entered the U.S. market, and that is has received no reports of illness stemming from spice imports. The agency said it is continuing to investigate.
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U.S. officials rejected a push to establish a global AI governance framework at this weeks United Nations General Assembly, despite the plan enjoying broad support from many world nations, including China. At a Security Council debate on Wednesday, Michael Kratsios, the director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, said that Washington totally rejected all efforts by international organizations to assert centralized control and global governance of AI. The meeting marked the first time that all 193 UN member states have been able to weigh in on AI governance. It comes after an Aug. 2025 UN resolutionwhich members unanimously endorsedurging the UN to lay the groundwork for global AI governance and calling on governments to work together to protect human rights in the wake of widespread AI use. Speaking at the meeting on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that AI presented a real and present risk to humanity. AI is no longer a distant horizonit is here, transforming daily life, the information space, and the global economy at breathtaking speed, Guterres said. The ability to fabricate and manipulate audio and video threatens information integrity, fuels polarisation and can trigger diplomatic crises humanitys fate cannot be left to an algorithm.” U.S. AI stance puts emphasis on diffusion At the meeting, Kratsios said that Washington believed that the responsible diffusion of AI will help pave the way to a flourishing future, one of increased productivity, empowered individuals, and revolutions in scientific advancement. “The path to this world is found not in bureaucratic management, but in the freedom and duty of citizens, the prudence and cooperation of statesmen, and the independence and sovereignty of nations,” he added. The remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said in his speech to the General Assembly that the country is working on developing its own safety measures, and that the White House is pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust, specifically to enforce the Biological Weapons Convention. Hopefully, the UN can play a constructive role, and it will also be one of the early projects under AI, Trump said. The U.S. stance is a notable break from other world powers, and particularly China. Also on Wednesday, Chinas Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ma Zhaoxu, expressed support for the UNs proposed governance framework. It is vital to jointly foster an open, inclusive, fair and nondiscriminatory environment for technological development and firmly oppose unilateralism and protectionism,” Ma said.
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