Someday, Maybe Or Maybe Not: Women Weigh In On Motherhood And Egg Freezing Options

Entrepreneur Pooja Dhingra took to her Instagram handle on Wednesday to share that she had frozen her eggs. Sharing a picture of herself from the hospital, she said that she’s mixed with lots of thoughts and feelings but will discuss them later on as she is focusing on resting and getting back to work.

In the past few years, quite a notable number of celebrities, such as Priyanka Chopra, Upasana Kamineni, Ekta Kapoor, Riddhima Pandit, Mona Singh, and Tanishaa Mukherjee, have opened up about getting their eggs frozen in their 30s. Amidst all the criticism and hate comments that they receive for choosing unconventional paths to become mothers, it’s laudable that these women are unapologetically candid about their choices.

With Pooja Dhingra adding to the list, having more celebrities speaking about how their choice to freeze their eggs has helped them, it is encouraging a lot of young Indian women who don’t want to rush into motherhood but want to embrace it someday in the future to opt for egg-freezing.

Entrepreneur Pooja Dhingra announces freezing her eggs

Women Choosing Egg Freezing

One of the main reasons Indian women are pressured to get married and married women are pressured to have kids is because their biological clock is ticking. But given that women are the ones who give birth, should they be the ones to decide if, when, and how they want to have kids?

Besides, a lot of women today are focusing on establishing their careers before embracing motherhood, and that requires complete commitment, hard work, and time. Also, modern women are clear about the kind of partner they want and aren’t willing to lower their standards just so that they can find a guy. This makes relationships a lot more complicated and time-consuming. But then, a lot of these women also want to embrace motherhood one day in the future. So, if there is an option for it, shouldn’t they be making more of it?

A media professional in her late 20s has recently been considering freezing her eggs. "I’ve read a lot about it and discussed it with my husband. But I’m scared of how my family would react to it. So, I’m unsure if I’ll be able to take it forward or not. But I keep coming back to it as I’m currently focusing on my career and I also suffer from PCOS. I consider it often, but I’m not sure how to take it forward, primarily because I think my family wouldn’t be able to understand all this," she said.

"My husband and I have decided not to have kids by choice," said an MNC professional who is close to entering her 30s. "But, considering the various factors such as women’s age, health, relationship status, career choices, etc., I believe women should educate themselves about the various options that are available to them. It’s always better to take advantage of the facilities made available with the advent of technology. I believe it should be a mutual decision between the couple. The rest of the family might have contradictory views, but they really don’t have a say in a couple’s personal life decisions," she added.

An unmarried psychologist in her late 30s said that she hasn’t gotten married yet because she hasn’t found the right person for her. She said, "I want to get married for all the right reasons, and I have an uncompromising set of standards. After seeing more celebrities speak about egg freezing and how their choice has made them feel empowered, I’ve been thinking about it, as it’s good that we have options these days, but it might take a while to convince my family."

Dr Priyanka Reddy, consultant infertility specialist at Motherhood Hospital Bengaluru, told Times Of India that there is definitely an increase in the number of women choosing to freeze their eggs. She added that awareness among women has increased, and more women from different walks of life have inquired about it in the last five years.

Given that there is a reliable option that makes it easier for women to embrace motherhood at their own pace and time, it's promising to know that many women are reading about it, getting an understanding of the procedure, and discussing it among their friends or with their spouse. The fact that women are open to it is encouraging, because when there are good options, why not make use of them?

Suggested Reading: Upasana Kamineni Shares Why She Froze Her Eggs Very Early In Marriage

Image Credits: Upasana Kamineni via Instagram and Filmify

Views expressed by the author are their own