Priyanka Chopra’s egg freezing news didn’t come as much of a surprise as the actor seemed in no rush to have babies with husband Nick Joanas, while she was in her late 30s. Apparently, she froze her eggs at the age of 36—a decision that Chopra says, gave her the freedom to pursue her career ambitions and focus on herself.
The 40-year-old Citadel star opened up about her decision to take control of her biological clock in a recent episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. She said the process of egg freezing was both painful and expensive, but she recommends it everyone.
Priyanka and Nick welcomed their baby girl, Malti Marie Jonas, via surrogacy in 2022.
However, back in 2018, when she hadn’t started dating her now-husband, Chopra revealed that it was on her mother Madhu Chopra’s suggestion that she decide to freeze her eggs and take control of her biological clock.
“I felt such freedom, I did it in my early thirties; and I could continue on an ambitious warpath. I wanted to achieve, and I wanted to get to a certain place in my career,” she said.
“I also hadn’t met the person I wanted to have children with or I didn’t see that. That’s anxiety-inducing. [I was] 35, and my mom’s an OB-GYN who’s like, ‘36— Just do it.’”
The Biological clock is real
Is there an ideal age for egg freezing? Yes, it’s usually done best at a younger age. The quality and quantity of a woman’s eggs declines with age and female fertility declines sharply in her late thirties.
Noting this possible fall in her fertility, Priyanka said that even though her mother nudged her, she did it for herself.
“I tell all my younger friends that the biological clock is for real. It gets so much harder to get pregnant after 35 and to carry to term and all of that. Especially for women who have been working all their lives,” she said.
Priyanka also said that even though egg freezing is quite expensive, women who want kids should save up and “do it anytime, and you can do it multiple times.”
She marvels as the wonders of modern technology, saying, “Science is at such an amazing place right now, and if you can afford it, it’s the best gift you’ll give yourself because you’re taking the power from your biological clock.
“You can work until however long you want. Your eggs will still be the same age as when you froze them.”
Priyanka Chopra on Surrogacy
Talking to British Vogue earlier this year, Chopra also opened up about her surrogacy journey and the criticism it drew.
“I had medical complications,” she said, explaining that surrogacy “was a necessary step.”
“I’m so grateful I was in a position where I could do this. Our surrogate was so generous, kind, lovely and funny, and she took care of this precious gift for us for six months,” she added.
Addressing the trolls who blamed her for outsourcing her pregnancy and renting a womb for vanity, Priyanka says she was a little rattled.
“You don’t know me,” she said. “You don’t know what I’ve been through. And just because I don’t want to make my medical history, or my daughter’s, public doesn’t give you the right to make up whatever the reasons were.”
PC always wanted kids
PC, as she is popularly known in Bollywood, says she was hesitant to initially date Nick Jonas because of their age difference—she wasn’t sure if he’d embrace parenthood at his age and she wanted to have kids.
“I always knew I wanted kids, which was one of the big reasons I didn’t want to date Nick at that time ’cause I was like, ‘I don’t know if he wants kids at 25,’ at that time,” she said. “But I’ve always wanted kids. I love kids.”
The couple welcomed baby Malti on January 15, 2022, but they were put through the wringer for several weeks after her birth.
The baby was pre-mature and had to spend 100 days in the NICU before they could bring her home in time for Mother’s Day that year.
“Every family’s journey is unique and requires a certain level of faith, and while ours was a challenging few months, what becomes abundantly clear, in retrospect, is how precious and perfect every moment is,” Chopra and Jonas had shared on Instagram.
“Our next chapter begins now, and our baby is truly a badass. Let’s get it MM! Mommy and Daddy love you.”
Back then, a source had told PEOPLE magazine that the couple was “truly eager to be parents,” and that they are thrilled on the arrival of their child. “They are beyond excited. Nick and Priyanka have wanted a baby for some time.”
How much does egg freezing cost?
Even Priyanka Chopra finds it expensive! It is true that fertility treatments don’t come cheap but there are ways you can preserve your fertility at an affordable price.
The cost of egg freezing depdsn upon where you get it done, the technology used by the clinic, the qualification and capabilities of the doctors, etc. Don’t let the high cost of the procedure hold you back.
If you are in your early to late thirties and are looking for affordable egg freezing, we can help you.
Many of our clients form the US and Canda chose to go to Mexico for egg freezing, where we use the world-best Cryotec technology (which has almost 100% freeze-thaw survival rates) and costs only $4,600.
We also have the cryotec technology at JCI-accredited IVF clinics in Thailand, where it costs $5,500, as well some top fertility clinics in Malaysia, where egg freezing package is $4,000.