Karishma Mehta, the CEO of Humans of Bombay, has revealed that she froze her eggs in early January. The 32-year-old entrepreneur shared this was something she had been considering for some time.
"Been meaning to do this for a while and finally got around to it. I froze my eggs at the beginning of the month," Ms Mehta wrote in a post on Instagram.
In her post, Ms Mehta also reflected on her eventful January, which saw a mix of personal and professional achievements. These included Humans of Bombay celebrating its 11th anniversary, shooting an ad with Bollywood actor Abhay Deol and her excitement at attending Coldplay's concert in Mumbai. “The first month of the year, and what a well-diversified portfolio it's been. Some personal wins, some professional. Some bucket list items ticked off, the way for others being paved. 2025 has been swell guys,” she wrote.
What is egg freezing?
Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is a process in which a woman's eggs are extracted, frozen, and stored for future use, according to UCLA Health. This method is often used to preserve fertility for women who may want to delay having children, either for personal or medical reasons.
Egg freezing involves checking a woman's egg supply with blood tests and ultrasounds. Then, hormonal medications are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. The mature eggs are collected through a simple procedure and frozen quickly using a technique called vitrification. This allows the eggs to be stored for future use.
The first successful birth from a frozen egg occurred in 1986, and recent advancements have greatly improved the success rates of egg survival and live births.
Age till which eggs can be frozen
Candidates for egg freezing are often women under 40, as egg quality and quantity decline with age, especially after 37, according to Hopkins Medicine.
The procedure involves hormone injections, regular monitoring with ultrasounds and blood tests, and an outpatient retrieval process. Afterward, the eggs are frozen and stored in a controlled lab environment. When the woman is ready to have a child, the eggs are thawed, fertilised with sperm, often through a method called ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), and the resulting embryos are implanted into the uterus.
While the procedure can be costly, some insurance plans may cover it, especially for women with medical conditions like cancer.
Who should consider egg freezing?
Egg freezing may be an option for women facing fertility risks due to:
- Cancer treatments like chemotherapy or pelvic radiation.
- Surgical procedures that may damage ovaries.
- Genetic conditions or family history of early menopause.
- Social or personal reasons to delay having children.
Eggs can be stored for many years.
