Egg freezing seems empowering—until you examine it closely

While the fertility industry posits egg freezing as a glossy solution for women wanting to conceive later, no one is talking about its side-effects. We turn to experts as well as women who opted for the treatment to find out more

In India, where the lines between womanhood and motherhood become blurry after a certain age, the societal narrative around fertility is relentless. Questions like “When can we expect good news?” or “You’re running out of time” or “Get married soon so that you conceive before 30” are common. For most women in their late 20s or early 30s who are at the peak of their careers or simply not ready for a child, egg freezing has emerged as  the fertility industry’s glossiest solution—or so it seems.  

According to a 2024 report by the Egg Preservation Institute of Asia (EPIA), 40 per cent of Indian women between the ages of 25 and 30 are considering egg freezing to preserve their fertility. This explains why the egg-freezing and embryo-banking market in India, which generated a revenue of $206 million in 2023, is poised to touch a whopping $632.5 million by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 17.4 per cent. It’s interesting to note that while the inclination towards egg freezing was plodding between 2018 and 2023, future conjectures entail significant accelerations.

Today, fertility clinics offering treatments like egg freezing and IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) have mushroomed even in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India. This year, the CK Birla Group allotted ₹500 crores to solidify Birla Fertility & IVF’s footprint in Tier 2 and 3 cities. Meanwhile, Indira IVF, a leading fertility chain, inaugurated its 150th clinic in Udaipur, paving the way for equal access to fertility treatments. While remote rural towns and villages are still underserved, with the population relying on ‘herbal’ fixes, this surge in interest owes much to increased awareness through social media and vocal celebrity advocates like Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Mona Singh, and Mrunal Thakur. But does the industry’s glossy marketing and endorsements eclipse the realities of the procedures? And, is the decision to opt for egg-freezing as well-informed and autonomous as it should be for a woman? 

What does the egg-freezing process entail? 

In simple terms, egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, involves  retrieving fertile eggs from the body and freezing them for future use. The option is specifically feasible for women who wish to delay their pregnancy, but still hope to  conceive. However, the egg-freezing process isn’t as straightforward as it sounds—it involves calendar scheduling, calculations, and medical interventions galore.

“Generally, in a normal cycle, the body produces only one egg that grows big enough to be released,” says Dr Tanaya Narendra (@dr_cuterus on Instagram), a doctor, sex educator, and author of Dr Cuterus: Everything Nobody Tells You About Your Body. “In the case of egg freezing, hormonal injections are administered, which lead to the production of multiple big eggs, which are extracted out of the body through surgical procedures and harvested out of the body or frozen for the future,” she furthers, adding that she has frozen her eggs too. This process typically spans 12 to 15 days and sometimes involves intravenous sedation medicine for the egg retrieval.

“Using hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries to generate numerous eggs is the first step in the process. This stage usually lasts 10 days, when follicle or egg development is tracked by routine scans. When the follicles have been formed, the eggs are extracted under light anaesthesia through a minor procedure,” explains Dr Lakshmi Chirumamilla, a fertility specialist at Hyderabad’s Nova IVF Fertility. However, a single cycle never guarantees successful egg retrievals. “Within a week following the procedure, they might have their next menstrual cycle, restoring their normal hormonal balance.”

Whenever you decide to pursue pregnancy, you can turn to your frozen eggs and conceive via two primary methods. The first option is to fertilise the eggs by injecting the partner’s sperm and then implanting the eggs into the woman’s uterus—a process that mirrors natural conception and is generally more preferable. If this approach fails, the eggs can be utilised for IVF, a more complex procedure involving embryo culture and transfer. 

The lesser-known upshots of egg freezing 

The gravity of egg freezing’s side-effects continue to be widely misrepresented. “Because of the multiple eggs that we are trying to retrieve, the estrogen levels rise and can cause mood swings. Physically, you may experience heaviness in your lower abdomen and some bloating or cramping which can be managed with oral medication. The symptoms disappear immediately after we retrieve the eggs,” explains Dr Rohan Palshetkar, a professor at the Department of Obstetrics and gynaecology, DY Patil School of Medicine. While Narendra says she didn’t face major repercussions besides bloating and discomfort during walking and sleeping as she approached the retrieval day due to her enlarged ovaries, she admits that the hormonal fluctuations can cause physical and emotional disturbances.

Forty-one-year-old Pragnya Wakhlu, an independent musician, signed up for egg freezing in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, in isolation, making the process of dealing with the adverse effects of egg freezing tougher. “Physically, your body has to go through several injections in the stomach, plus blood tests and medicines, causing hormonal changes and bloating. I had to go through two rounds of egg freezing as I could only get four eggs in the first round. The second time around, I was living with my family, so I had their support.” 

Many women, including Ritnika Nayan, 42—the founder of Music Gets Me High, a sound station and music distribution company—describe freezing their eggs as a “horrible” ordeal, owing to the mental and emotional despondency it makes you vulnerable to. “I was petrified of injections, and yet, measuring doses and administering myself with them regularly was taxing. After doing two rounds, I couldn’t freeze a single viable egg,” she shares. Nayan also developed a cyst, gained weight, and experienced hormonal fluctuations. “It was so emotionally draining that I couldn’t push myself to the third round. If and when I have a partner and wish to conceive, I may revisit egg freezing, but honestly, it is a process that takes a heavy toll on one’s emotional and mental health. But then again, the rules around adoption and surrogacy are also quite skewed in India.”

Aside from the common implications, a crashed sex drive and increased risk of breast cancer are often overlooked in egg-freezing discussions. Studies from PubMed Central have established a relationship between egg freezing and sexual dysfunction (or Inferto-sex syndrome) and breast cancer, particularly when you take the IVF route, owing to the long-term, recurrent exposure to hormone medications. 

Why egg freezing is still a privilege 

Options like egg freezing can be a boon, but also a means to prey on women’s insecurities about having—or not being able to have—a child because, after all, gender norms place the responsibility for bearing a child on a woman. 

Women in rural  India are still unable to comprehend infertility. According to a study held in Kaiwara, a village in Karnataka, 84 per cent of the women weren’t even aware of what causes infertility while a mere 3 per cent felt that males could be the reason too. Even if a woman happens to be aware of egg freezing, the to and fro to a medically-equipped institution in the city spawns added financial burden. Going by that, egg freezing is a privilege for many. 

With the costs of egg freezing ranging anywhere between ₹50,000 to ₹1,75,000 per cycle in India—and one can never predict the number of sittings needed—egg freezing continues to be a go-to option for an increasing number of women, despite the big-ticket value. “Including the medicines and the procedure, the expense goes into lakhs,” says Wakhlu. While well-to-do women in urban areas can make the choice of freezing their eggs to prioritise other things in life or simply wait for the right time, is a procedure so financially demanding viable for women from rural or economically-backward backgrounds, a majority in the country?

Since egg freezing is an elective medical procedure, most insurance policies do not cover any associated expenses. However, if you’re signing up for it, your expenses definitely do not end at the egg retrieval stage. “To store the eggs there is an annual preservation fee of around ₹40,000. Since I had the right amount of savings, I was able to cover my expenses and look at it as an investment,” shares Wakhlu.

The other side of the story

Despite its promises, egg freezing is far from a guaranteed solution—none of the fertility procedures are. Fertility World, an Indian chain of fertility clinics, reports that in India, the success rates are approximately 10 to 25 per cent, provided the woman froze her eggs before hitting the age of 34 years. While fertility clinics are transparent about these odds, many women pursue the treatment as a calculated risk—or simply because it’s the only feasible option they see.

“I always wanted to start a family and have kids of my own with my life partner, but at 36, I was single and unmarried. I felt I needed to take some action towards my goal as my fertility was going down,” says Wakhlu. “I got married at 40 and initially tried to conceive naturally. My gynaecologist suggested that we try a procedure called Intrauterine insemination (IUI) using my current eggs. The success rate of IUI is very low for women my age, but we successfully conceived a baby girl. I now pay a yearly storage fee to keep the eggs frozen until we plan to have a second child.”

For someone like Nayan, egg freezing was less about convenience and more about navigating genetic complexities. “My father is hemophilic, a genetic disorder often carried on by the daughter. At 33, I wanted to figure out how I could avoid transferring haemophilia to my kids, which led me to the fertility clinic.” Initially advised to consider IVF since she was diagnosed with low fertility, she turned to egg freezing, as the processes overlap. “Had I discovered this earlier, I would have frozen my eggs much earlier.”

Age and underlying medical issues significantly influence the success of egg freezing. “Egg freezing may not be appropriate for women with specific genetic disorders or those whose ovarian reserve has been significantly diminished,” explains Chirumamilla. Age is a critical factor, she emphasises. “The earlier you freeze your eggs, the more success you will have in using those at a later date to get pregnant. So, we generally recommend oocyte freezing between the ages of 25-35 years. However, remember, it can be frozen at any age,” adds Palshetkar. 

But that’s not all—your lifestyle plays a major role in determining the success of your egg freezing endeavour. Obesity or habits like smoking, drinking, and drug use can reduce egg quality and increase medication requirements, cites Palshetkar. “You would want to keep your body weight in control, sleep well, stay active and eat right. Ideally, you must make the clean shift at least six months prior to the treatment,” adds Narendra. Adopting a healthier lifestyle, however, does entail time, effort, and money; it all comes with a hefty privilege tag. And this is just the pre-procedure prep—the expenses and effort only proliferate, making egg freezing out of reach for a sizeable chunk of women. 

Empowerment or illusion? 

Egg freezing is often sold as a means of empowerment, but it’s not without its contradictions. Does it truly liberate women, or does it perpetuate the pressure to have it all—career, family, and freedom—on society’s terms?

For Aneesha Labroo, founder of activewear brand KICA, egg freezing was a way to take control of her future and stay ahead of the ticking clock of fertility. “The reason you’re doing it is so empowering that it takes you through it, at least it did, for me.” While her egg freezing experience was less painful than she had envisioned it to be, she does confess it took her 2-3 months to feel like herself again; however, she’s happy with her decision. “I didn’t want my age and fertility to be barriers if I ever had the desire to conceive.”  

But egg freezing isn’t always the flagbearer of empowerment that it is made to be. Dr Vaishali Joshi, senior obstetrician and gynaecologist at Kokilabein Ambani Hospital, says, “Egg freezing is commercially driven due to lack of regularisation; the positives and glossy outcomes are highlighted more often,” which underscores the need for a comprehensive understanding of what the fertility procedure entails before introducing  your body to the very first injection. “I researched extensively before starting the egg-freezing process,” says Labroo. Knowing what to expect helped her manage the physical and emotional toll. 

Despite the growing prevalence of egg freezing, it remains a taboo subject in many conversations. “There’s very little awareness about egg freezing; I don’t feel people talk enough about it. This is why I documented the entire process of freezing my eggs on my Instagram,” says Labroo. 

While fertility clinics are transparent about these odds, many women pursue the treatment as a calculated risk—or simply because it’s the only feasible option they see.The silence, coupled with societal pressures can leave women feeling overwhelmed. “Women may experience distress due to the uncertainty of outcomes later, societal pressures, or might feel overwhelmed by the weight of the decision, which can lead to stress, feelings of inadequacy, fear about future fertility outcomes or difficulties in conception,” says psychotherapist and relationship counsellor Ruchi Ruuh. She advises having open conversations with your partner and family to manage the emotional weight of the decision. 

While egg freezing offers women a chance to pause their biological clocks, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Setting realistic expectations about the procedure becomes vital. Being informed about egg freezing means understanding both its benefits and limitations. As technology advances, so do success rates, but the biological realities of the human reproductive system remain constant.

The choice—for those who can afford to have it— continues to be deeply shaped by socio-economic and cultural expectations, especially in a society where the pressures to balance one’s career, marriage, and family loom large.

This raises a critical question: Is egg freezing the only option for women navigating societal pressures and biological constraints? The answer lies in prioritising women’s autonomy—ensuring that their decisions reflect their personal needs and health, above all else.

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