Should You Consider Egg Freezing in Your 20s or 30s?

At 27, Hollywood actor Florence Pugh froze her eggs after an endometriosis diagnosis, ensuring future choices. Global celeb and actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, heeding her mother’s advice, did the same in her early 30s, calling it “freedom.” Diana Hayden, too, took charge – freezing her eggs at 34 and later welcoming three children.

Across the world, now women are even freezing eggs in 20s and embracing this medical breakthrough for balancing careers, health and dreams of motherhood. With WHO reporting rising fertility challenges, egg freezing in India offers hope for having healthy eggs options, thereby allowing women to plan a baby on their terms.

What is Egg Freezing and How Does It Work?

The future of motherhood is no longer dictated by a ticking clock. At 30, Meera (name changed) chose to freeze her eggs, preserving her future motherhood dreams. 

Egg preservation involves taking hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries, retrieving eggs using a minor procedure and freezing them for future use. Years later, she used them for IVF, when she could not conceive naturally. Egg freezing process lets women pause their biological clock, offering hope. It’s science giving choice – ensuring motherhood happens when the time feels right.

Women opt for this driven by factors such as career planning, delayed marriages and advancements in reproductive technologies. 

Rising Trend of Egg Freezing:

As per verified news reports, over the past five years, there has been a 25% annual increase in Indian women opting for freezing eggs. This is particularly among those balancing career aspirations and personal life plans. 

The egg freezing and embryo banking market in India generated a revenue of USD 206.0 million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 632.5 million by 2030, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.4%

Both these statistics of egg freezing success rate, underscore the increasing acceptance and demand for egg freezing services among Indian as well as global women.

Why Women in their 20s and 30s are Opting for Freezing Eggs:

1. Societal and Career-Related Factors:

At 29, Aisha, a corporate lawyer, froze her eggs to focus on career growth without worrying about fertility decline. Many women today face similar dilemmas, balancing ambition with biological realities. As societal expectations shift, women are no longer pressured into early motherhood. Since egg freezing success rate is good in India, they now have options to prioritize personal and professional achievements before starting a family.

2. Financial Independence and Corporate Support:

With rising financial independence, women can now afford egg preservation . Companies like Google, Meta and Apple offer egg-freezing benefits. This makes freezing eggs in 20s and 30s more accessible. Priya, a tech professional, used her company’s support to freeze her eggs at 30. This ensured she could plan motherhood when ready without any financial strain.

3. Delayed Marriage and Motherhood:

Marriage in urban India now happens beyond 30. This is giving women time to focus on self-growth. Unlike previous generations, women today, like Riya, a journalist, chose the egg freezing process to ensure fertility is preserved even if marriage and motherhood happen later. This allows them to make strong life decisions without societal pressure.

4. The Search for the Right Partner:

Many women delay family planning while searching for a compatible partner. Neha, a marketing executive, froze her eggs at 32 after several unsuccessful relationships. Instead of settling for an incompatible or hurried choice, she secured her future options. And because egg freezing success rate is good, she could wait for the right person without reproductive anxiety.

5. Advancements in Reproductive Technology:

New techniques like Vitrification and IVF (in-vitro fertilization) have improved egg survival rates, making freezing eggs more successful. Women with conditions like endometriosis or PCOS now have better fertility options. Thanks to egg preservation now they don’t lose their chance at motherhood. 

Benefits of Egg Freezing Process in the 20s and 30s:

Significant benefits due to higher egg quality and quantity during these years: 

• Women under 35 who freeze 15 mature eggs have an approximate 80% chance of achieving at least one live birth.
• Those freezing eggs before 35 have higher success rates than natural conception at older ages.
• Egg Freezing Success Rate vs. IVF Success Rates – Women who opt for egg preservation before 35 have a 60-70% success rate per cycle in IVF. This is in comparison to only 20-30% for those attempting IVF with fresh eggs after 38. 
• Egg quality peaks in the mid-20s to early 30s, making this period optimal for preservation.
• Notably, women under 38 who thawed 20 or more mature eggs achieved a 70% live birth rate per patient.
• WHO recognises endometriosis as a leading cause of infertility. Thus an early egg freezing process is recommended for affected women.

Potential Risks and Considerations of Egg Preservation:

1. The procedure involves hormonal stimulation to retrieve multiple eggs. This can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), characterised by swollen, painful ovaries. While severe cases are rare, they require medical attention. 
2. Financially, the process is a bit costly. In India, each cycle can exceed ₹1.5 lakh and multiple cycles may be necessary to collect sufficiently healthy eggs.
3. Both egg freezing success rate vs IVF success rate vary from person to person. This is influenced by the woman’s age at freezing and the clinic’s expertise. asianinfertility.com
4. It’s also important to note that egg freezing doesn’t guarantee future pregnancy. This again depends on the age of the mother and sperm donor’s/ father’s sperm health and condition. 

Future of Freezing Eggs and Advancements in Fertility Technology:

We are sharing some key developments that offer hope to individuals facing fertility challenges. 

• Vitrification method has significantly improved thaw rates, making egg freezing more viable.
• Artificial intelligence is enhancing embryo selection, increasing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) success rates.
• Non-invasive genetic testing now allows doctors to check embryo health without biopsies, making the process gentler on embryos.

• These innovations are driving market growth, with the global egg freezing and embryo banking market projected to reach $6.32 billion in 2025.
• Egg Freezing cost per month in India is way cheaper than in other nations. The annual storage fee can be divided to estimate a monthly expense, typically between Rs. 833 to Rs. 2,083.It’s important to note that these costs can vary based on the clinic location, and individual requirements. 

Egg Freezing for Cancer Patients:

If a woman is diagnosed with cancer – like breast or ovarian cancer – treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation can harm her ability to have children in the future. One way to protect her fertility is by freezing eggs before treatment starts.

The process works like this:

• Stimulating the ovaries – Doctors give special medicines to help the ovaries produce multiple eggs.
• Egg retrieval – A minor procedure is done to collect the eggs.
• Freezing – The eggs are frozen and stored for future use.

Later, when this lady has recovered from cancer and wants to have children, the frozen eggs can be thawed, fertilised with sperm and implanted into the uterus. Or she can undergo IVF.

Women with cancer, who freeze around 10 eggs before age 35 have about a 40% chance of pregnancy later. But doctors have to ensure that this process should be planned before cancer treatment starts. That’s why you need correct and timely medical guidance.

One notable example is model and actress Lisa Ray, diagnosed with blood cancer in 2009. She froze her eggs before treatment to preserve her fertility. In 2018, she became a mother through surrogacy.

Is Egg Freezing Worth Considering?

Your future deserves choices. Whether it’s love, career, health or dreams – your desire matters. So come to discuss it at the best IVF centre in India. Freeze your eggs today, so tomorrow stays open to possibilities.

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