Humans of Bombay CEO Karishma Mehta gets her eggs frozen at 32: Know everything from cost and risks to ideal age

Karishma Mehta, the CEO of Humans of Bombay, recently shared her decision of getting her eggs frozen. In an Instagram post, she said that she froze her eggs in January 2025. Her decision highlights the growing trend of women choosing to freeze their eggs as a form of reproductive empowerment. Also read | How to freeze eggs like Priyanka Chopra; expert explains procedure, offers tips

Egg freezing allows women to take control of their fertility, preserving their options for the future, and reducing the pressure to settle down or have children before they're ready. By sharing her story, Karishma Mehta has taken the conversation around egg freezing, fertility, and women's reproductive choices forward.

Earlier, actor Priyanka Chopra had also discussed her decision to freeze her eggs in her early 30s. Before we get into what is egg freezing and take a comprehensive overview of the costs and risks involved, let's find out what Karisma said.

'I froze my eggs at the beginning of the month'

A part of her caption for a recent Instagram post read, “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... been meaning to do this for a while and finally got around to it. I froze my eggs at the beginning of the month.”

Check out her post:

Everything you need to know about egg freezing

Egg freezing is a form of fertility preservation, but it's not a guarantee of future fertility. It's essential to consult with a fertility specialist to discuss individual circumstances and determine the best course of action.

But what is Egg freezing? It is a reproductive technique in which a woman’s ovaries are stimulated with medication to produce more eggs, and these eggs are then harvested, frozen, and stored for future use.

In a recent interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Swati Mishra, IVF specialist at Birla Fertility and IVF in Kolkata, said, “The process of egg freezing also known as oocyte cryopreservation is a form of assisted reproductive technology (ART) of extracting, freezing and storing women’s eggs to preserve their ability to reproduce later in life. It not only helps women freeze their own eggs for later usage, but the same technique helps in the case of egg donation, where someone else’s egg is used to conceive. Since women are born with a finite number of eggs, the quality and quantity of which start declining in the late 30s, egg freezing offers an effective way to preserve the quality of eggs for later usage.”

In a 2023 interview with Hindustan Times, Dr Rahul Manchanda, hon. senior consultant (endoscopic gynecology), PSRI Hospital, Delhi said, “The process provides an option for women to preserve their fertility for later use due to which it’s popularity has grown significantly in India too.”

Ideal age for egg freezing

The process of egg freezing may take up to 10 to 14 days and women need to get some tests done to assess the condition and health of the eggs. Women who are already in their late 30s or beyond may have a reduced chance of success with frozen eggs.

Dr Archna Dhawan Bajaj, gynaecologist, Nurture IVF had said in the 2023 interview with HT, “Those with certain medical conditions like repeated hyper stimulation of ovaries cannot undergo the hormonal stimulation required for egg retrieval.” Egg freezing is typically recommended for women between the age of 30 to 35, or slightly above 35, who are not ready to have a pregnancy yet but want the option in the future.

Risks associated with egg freezing

Some women could experience extreme weakness before egg freezing, when they typically undergo ovarian stimulation with hormone injections to produce multiple eggs for retrieval. Dr Ritu Sethi, senior consultant-gynecology, Cloud Nine Hospital, Gurgaon had said in the 2023 interview with HT, “Experiencing weakness or fatigue post-egg freezing is not a common or expected outcome. It generally happens with those having a weak immune system. While some women may feel mild discomfort or fatigue after the procedure, severe weakness to the point of a life-threatening situation is rare.”

She added, “It’s important to note that each person’s response to medical procedures can vary, and individual factors, such as overall health, medical history, and the specific details of the egg freezing process, can play a role in how someone feels afterward. They are recommended to follow the same advice as above.” Moreover, there is no guarantee of a successful pregnancy, even with frozen eggs, even though advances in reproductive technology may improve egg-freezing success rates.

Cost of egg freezing in India

The entire procedure may take two to three weeks, and the cost can vary between ₹50,000 and ₹1,00,000. Eggs can be stored for up to 50 years and the cost of storage varies between ₹15,000 and ₹30,000 per year.