Health News: More Women Opting to Freeze Eggs Amid Health, Lifestyle, and Career Challenges

Time of India

a day ago

Declining quality of life due to lifestyle changes and environmental factors is not only impacting overall health but also affecting fertility, especially at a later age. Considering this, more women today are exploring the option of freezing their eggs for having a healthy baby in the future.
Shiba Vyas, a 28 years old software engineer, recently froze her eggs. 'I want to become a mother but in the future and not now. However, I came across information that the quality of eggs lessens with time. And aspects like the modern lifestyle that is full of junk food, smoking, and drinking alcohol affect eggs quality negatively. Hence, I decided to freeze my eggs,' she said.
Vyas is not alone. More and more women, mostly from metro cities and working women, prefer to freeze their eggs for various reasons.
What is egg freezing?
Dr Rajendra Shitole, Clinical and Academic Head, DPU IVF and Endoscopy Centre (DPU Super Specialty Hospital, Pimpri), said, 'Egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, is a fertility preservation technique that allows women to store their eggs at a younger age for future use. With shifting priorities and evolving lifestyles, more women today are choosing to delay motherhood—for education, career, or medical reasons.'
Dr Bushra Khan, fertility specialist, says, 'Egg freezing is done for two reasons: social and medical. Social is when younger women want to delay their pregnancies. For healthy eggs, they store it. And medical is when women have cancer or other diseases. Before taking chemotherapy, they freeze their eggs as chemotherapy affects negatively on eggs. Women with a family history of early menopause also go for it. We receive 7-10 queries per month and 7-8 women opt for it per month,' said Dr Khan.
The perfect time to freeze eggs
The best time to freeze eggs is before 35, when egg quality is highest. The process involves hormonal stimulation for 10–12 days, followed by egg retrieval under mild sedation with a sonography machine. The mature eggs are then vitrified and stored for ten years safely in liquid nitrogen.
'Success depends on age at freezing and the number of eggs stored. Egg survival after freezing is almost 90% due modern vitrification techniques. With eggs frozen before 35, the chances of a healthy pregnancy can be up to 40–60% per embryo transfer. Research shows no increased risk of birth defects or developmental issues in children born from frozen eggs,' says Dr Shitole.
Myths busted
'There are many myths around egg freezing. It is said that egg freezing guarantees future pregnancy. However, in reality, it increases the chances, but success still depends on several factors. Another myth is the procedure is unsafe. But in reality, it is well-established and minimally invasive,' said Dr Khan.
According to both experts, this is not a new technique and has been used in western world for a long time. But now it is becoming popular in India, especially in metro cities. It costs Rs 1.50 lakh to Rs 2.50 lakh and is affordable for many middle-class families.
Need of the hour
Priyanka Khade (name changed), 27 years old working woman, recently tested with breast cancer. 'I want to become a mother for sure. Doctors counselled me about why I needed to freeze my eggs. And I realised that chemotherapy might reduce my chances to become a mother as egg quality gets reduced due to therapy. Hence, I decided to freeze my eggs.'