More than the fertility factor, it’s the lifestyle choice that these fast-forward women are taking in the city. While most women are postponing marriage and subsequent child bearing, the times are changing now. Here’s a gen-next step most are not shying away from taking — freezing their eggs for posterity to preserve their fertility for the future, while they await the perfect man to come into their lives or for many other reasons.
Miss World Diana Hayden (42) was in the news as her child was born out of an egg that she had frozen eight years ago. This medical marvel that would have raised many eyebrows a couple of years ago, is being lapped up now as it helps liberate Indian women from the ticking biological clock.
Diana poses with her baby
The recent mommy Diana Hayden feels, “The freedom of choice that egg freezing offers a woman is very liberating as it frees her from the pressure of the proverbial ‘Ticking Clock’ and hence marrying the wrong man. It also gives her the option if she wishes to pursue her career longer and delay having a child. Your frozen eggs are a God-send if, God forbid, you find you have a medical situation which makes it difficult for you to conceive, like in my case, where I found I had endometriosis.”
Dr Basavaraj Devarashetty, fertility specialist (MD), Cloudnine Hospitals states, “Women in the city are freezing their eggs for different reasons. Some are coming because they might delay their pregnancy due to marital discord, others are doing it if their husbands are living abroad. There are many who are also doing it when they get detected with cancer, as they can freeze their eggs, before they start chemotherapy. While it’s legally allowed to do it if you’re not married, there are a few cases of unmarried women coming for it, but it’s a great idea for them, if they’re not sure when they would get married.”
For Diana, she is the happiest now, as Arya’s mommy, “I froze my eggs nine years ago as I knew I definitely wanted to get married and have a baby but I also knew I wouldn’t do that with anyone but the right man. Little did I think I would need to use those eggs for medical reasons! I look at Arya and thank God every day for her. The joy and happiness she gives me, and everyone she meets, is just pure and beautiful! She is by far the best thing that has happened to me, ever!” says Diana.
And there are some that have done it for practical reasons, ”I’m 38, so it’s also the biological clock that is ticking, and while I would like to have a baby soon, I’m single and there is no one special in my life right now. Besides, my mother is the reason as she feels that if I don’t do it now, it might be too late. I’ve frozen my eggs, and atleast it gives me hope for the future, so when I meet the man I will marry, whether it is today or in a few years, I can then have a baby. It was the best option given that I love children and would want to be a mother,” states Neeti D, a city corporate executive.
For another woman in her mid 30s, the thought of starting a family is a result of things falling in line. “While actually conceiving might be a couple of years down the line, technology can help keeping the health and quality of eggs in their current condition. Who knows what reality tomorrow has to offer, but if a little proaction can aid in the future it makes sense. I would hate to discover in a few years that I could have done something to ensure healthier eggs and an increased chance of conceiving. While the cost is considerable, what I have not yet gotten is the confidence in the data for women harvesting to conceive at a future date. Most people harvest and store eggs for fairly immediate use. This maybe an Indian phenomenon but most centres do not have considerable amount of data to back the process given the high costs, if one is considering conceiving in a few years from now,” she states.
Fact file
An in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is done after an internal scan and an ultrasound. We insert a needle and take the eggs for freezing, which takes only about 20 minutes, depending on how many eggs are there. A woman’s egg quality peaks between 16 to 28 but are still acceptable from age 29 to 37, diminishes from age 37 to 44. The cost is similar to the cost of an IVF cycle (approx Rs 45,000) and an annual fee is charged for storage of the cryopreserved oocytes after the first year. It is allowed to save the eggs for five years and approx '50,000 for freezing them in the labs.
