Hyderabad: Right after the Covid lockdown was lifted, Prianjali (name changed) was asked to take over her family business – a chain of mid-sized eateries across Hyderabad. But before she could sit in the CEO’s chair, the then 36-year-old made a quick trip to a fertility clinic.
She needed to freeze her eggs.
“I knew once the storm (of work) hits me, I’d have no time for anything else. So, I had to ensure I was prepared to have a child a few years later. Work was important but so was fulfilling my desire to become a mother,” said the spinster entrepreneur who eventually took the plunge into motherhood with an embryo transfer in Dec last year at the age of 41.
This trend of “social freezing“, where women – majority of them single – are choosing to freeze their eggs, either to delay their plans for marriage or parenthood, to build their careers through their 30s, has seen an uptick in recent times, say embryologists and fertility experts from Hyderabad.
Much like other metros, fertility experts in this city too are witnessing four to five women walk through their doors every month to sign up for oocyte (egg) freezing. Until about two years ago, the average was one a month.
“While most of the women are still in the 33 to 35 years age bracket, there are some as young as 27-28 who are opting for this procedure,” said Dr Kiran Sekhar, medical director and chief fertility consultant at Kiran Infertility Centre. And unlike earlier, when oocyte freezing was largely driven by medical reasons – women suffering from serious illnesses like cancer – it is now more about them choosing when to become a mother.
Cost, EMI
The cost of the roughly month-long procedure ranges between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. It then attracts an annual fee of Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 for every year that the egg is stored in the egg bank.
But that is a price a lot of women are willing to pay for a ‘healthy’ future, said fertility specialist Dr Meera Jindal. She also attributed the growing frequency to more awareness about the procedure. “The social awkwardness around freezing eggs is on the wane. So, more women are comfortable opting for it,” Dr Jindal said, reiterating how the technology has allowed women to extend their professional lives, allowing them to reach higher career goals.
“Also, the EMI facility available at the clinic made it easier for me,” said marketing professional, Suhasini (name changed) who availed a 10-month, zero interest, loan through a third-party that has a tie-up with the clinic.
However, there are only a handful of platforms offering this facility at present, with the majority only offering loans for IVF treatment. “Though some large corporations and tech firms also foot the bill for single women opting to freeze their eggs, the number is miniscule. This must change so that such options are available to more women,” said Dr Sekhar.
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Many NRI women sign up with fertility clinics in Hyd
Sudipta.Sengupta
Hyderabad: Not just India, several NRI women from the UK, Singapore, Dubai too are now making their way to Hyderabad to either freeze their eggs or sign up for a fertility treatment. Primary reason: Cheaper packages.
“When I found out about oocyte freezing in the UK, I realised it is equivalent to Rs 10 lakh in Indian currency. Then I met more women my age who had got it done here. I did my research and was on the next flight here. In Hyderabad, I am getting it done for Rs 2.5 lakh only,” said a 38-year-old medical professional who moved to London from Kerala a decade ago.
Reiterating the rise in this trend she said that at least half a dozen of her friends have frozen their eggs. “Whether we eventually have a partner or not, we sure want to become mothers. So, this is the best way to guarantee that,” she said.
In another case, a couple TOI spoke to had flown in from Singapore for the IVF treatment. “Apart from the cost, fertility treatment overseas also comes with a long waiting period. To avoid that, we decided on Hyderabad – a place suggested to us by friends,” said the 41-year-old IT professional. “Many of our friends, in their late 30s, have come here for egg freezing too,” she added.
Doctors say that this rush in overseas traffic has led to the mushrooming of fertility clinics across Hyderabad, especially in the last couple of years.
