For many women today, the timeline for marriage and motherhood looks very different from what it did a generation ago. As career aspirations, financial independence, and personal goals take centre stage, more women are exploring ways to preserve their fertility while keeping their future options open.
One such option is egg freezing, a procedure that has gained significant popularity among women in their 30s. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Richika Sahay Shukla, co-founder and medical director at India IVF Fertility, shared the reason behind this trend.
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Egg freezing
Dr Sahay said, “A few years ago, the women who walked into my clinic asking about egg freezing were rare, and usually a little embarrassed to be asking. Today I have that conversation almost every week — and the woman across the desk is calm, informed, and very clear about what she wants.”
“She is usually somewhere in her early-to-mid 30s, doing well at work, and simply not ready to start a family yet. She isn’t running away from motherhood. She is trying to protect the option of it,” added Dr Sahay.
Why is egg freezing growing?
Dr Sahay highlighted that the shift is the real story. For a long time, biology and life were quietly out of sync for women. Fertility is highest in the 20s, but the 20s are also when most women are building careers, finding the right partner, or simply finding themselves. Egg freezing gives them a way to hold that gap open a little longer, on their own terms.
The 30s have become the sweet spot for a practical reason. By now, a woman often has the awareness and the financial footing to make the decision, and medically, her early thirties still offer good egg quality. We gently remind everyone that fertility doesn’t wait.
Egg numbers and quality decline with age, more sharply after 35, which is why a simple AMH blood test and a scan to check ovarian reserve are such useful first steps. The earlier in this decade a woman freezes, generally, the better her eggs will serve her later.
What’s changed alongside the science is the conversation. The number of women in their 30s asking about freezing has climbed steeply year on year – and most of them are not in crisis, just planning ahead.
Mothers, husbands, and even employers are far more open about fertility than they were five years ago. I have had women come in after a frank chat with their own mother – something that would have been unthinkable a generation ago.
Dr Richika said, “My honest advice is this: egg freezing is not an insurance policy but one of the most empowering choices modern medicine offers a woman – the chance to make a calm, planned decision instead of an anxious, rushed one. And in my experience, that calm is worth a great deal.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
