The Defense Department is rolling out a new initiative that would reimburse eligible service members for freezing their eggs or sperm in case they are wounded overseas.
Military families have been lobbying for such a program for over a decade.
From The Washington Post:
Active military personnel who decide to freeze their eggs or sperm are eligible for $10,000 maximum reimbursement per year under a new three-year pilot program, according to a Department of Defense notice.
Active-duty personnel who have received orders for duty in a dangerous country are eligible, according to the notice. And troops likely to be on an active-duty order in a dangerous country within four months, or separated from their partner for at least six months, are also eligible.
Reimbursements are capped at $500 per year for sperm freezing and $10,000 per year for eggs, which includes the costs of retrieval, freezing, storage and shipping. Covered personnel can preserve their fertility via a civilian fertility clinic or military medical facilities that provide the service.
Big news for those going in harm’s way: Pentagon to launch pilot for some service members to freeze sperm, eggs via @MilitaryTimes https://t.co/1eL7bwRLqf
— Patricia Kime (@patriciakime) August 12, 2026
This is the outcome of a yearslong campaign to help provide access to fertility services for those serving in the military.
Military families and family planning advocates have lobbied for more than a decade to increase access to fertility services, to include cryopreservation of sperm and egg cells before combat deployments, in vitro fertilization and other advanced reproduction treatments.
In 2014, the Bob Woodruff Foundation sponsored a one-of-a-kind, two-day conference on intimacy and family issues among the combat injured that highlighted the need among wounded personnel to have broader access to family planning counseling, gamete banking and fertility treatments.
Nearly 2,000 troops received debilitating injuries to their groins or genital regions between 2000 and 2013, and 307,000 service members experienced some type of head injury during the same time frame — injuries that sometimes can affect fertility and sex drive.
It's not just AOC. The federal government is launching a new program to reimburse troops up to $10,000 per year if they opt to freeze their eggs or sperm. Story from @rachelkaras https://t.co/AOsBa1Hdx9
— Meryl Kornfield (@MerylKornfield) August 13, 2026
The notice explains that “services provided at these [medical facilities] are generally first-come, first-serve, and individual locations may not be able to accommodate covered services in a timeline that aligns with the covered member’s pertinent orders.”
Soldiers will need to have an advanced medical directive specifying what they want to happen to their gametes if they die. The Defense Health Agency will assess the program’s efficacy based on participation rates, costs, and impact on military readiness.
