Once viewed strictly as a specialised procedure for patients facing aggressive medical treatments, oocyte cryopreservation, commonly known as egg freezing, has transformed into a mainstream instrument of reproductive autonomy.
However, over the past few years, egg freezing has been driven by evolving social norms, career goals, relationship status, corporate benefits, and technological advancements, as thousands of women take proactive control of their biological timelines.
Historically, women pursued elective egg freezing in their late 30s as a last-resort safety net. Still, medical experts consistently advocate retrieving eggs before age 35, as it yields higher survival rates and more genetically normal embryos.
Egg Freezing Procedure
Egg freezing, medically known as oocyte cryopreservation, involves extracting a woman’s eggs, preserving them at extremely low temperatures, and storing them for future use.
The procedure begins with hormone injections administered over 10 to 14 days to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs instead of the usual monthly release.
Once mature, the eggs are retrieved using a small needle guided by ultrasound, a procedure carried out while the patient is asleep.
The eggs are then preserved using a rapid freezing technique known as vitrification and stored at about minus 196 degrees Celsius.
At that temperature, biological activity stops completely, allowing long-term storage, but not all eggs survive thawing, fertilisation, or develop into a viable pregnancy, even with modern techniques.
Nigerian Celebrities And Egg Freezing Trend
In 2025, Nigerian Afrobeats star, Tiwa Savage, opened up about freezing her eggs in case she decided to have more kids in the future.
In an interview with Zeze Mills, the 42-year-old singer said she wished she had frozen her eggs earlier, urging women in their 30s to freeze their eggs to take control of their fertility.
Similarly, in May 2026, content creator cum social media influencer, Amarachi Amusi, also known as Ashmusy, shared why she chose to freeze her eggs, saying it was a personal decision driven by her desire to secure her future as a mother.
Speaking in an interview with Punch, Ashmusy explained that becoming a mother is very important to her, and she wanted to make sure she would still have that chance later in life, regardless of what happens with relationships.
According to her, several relationships she believed would lead to marriage did not work out, prompting her to rethink her future plans.
Meanwhile, former Big Brother Naija (BBN) housemate cum female disc, jockey Tolanibaj, recently said she would take proactive steps to preserve her fertility rather than regret it in the future.
Cost, Side Effects
Nigerian Fertility and reproductive endocrinologist, Dr Olakunle Olawole Oloko, in an exclusive interview with Naija News, said egg freezing has been around for over a decade.
He said, “It’s not something that is new. It has to do with people having cancers, particularly breast cancers and other cancers. So because of that, people have to take their eggs for freezing to secure their future, especially with fertility. The fact that they will need chemo- that chemotherapy is a drug that they use in cancer treatment, and those drugs can knock out the eggs. So a lot of times in the past, in order to prevent that from happening, a lot of women get their egg retrieval; the main purpose for the egg retrieval is security.”
Speaking on how the major reason for egg freezing has shifted significantly, and the ideal biological age for a woman to freeze, Oloko said, “There is no particular age, but the younger the woman, the better the eggs. Women have a potential age range of 19 to 25 years. Younger women tend to have better outcomes than older women. Older women tend to have a higher risk of abnormalities, which is not so common among women of younger age. So generally speaking, the younger the egg, the better the quality and the outcome for the purpose of safety.”
When asked if there are any physical or side effects because of the hormonal injection, the Gynaecologist stated, “Well, because of the hormonal injection, there are no physical or side effects. The hormonal injection is one that can also cause what we call Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome, which is a life-threatening condition. That could happen after egg stimulation. Aside from that, there aren’t many physical effects. So that’s not a major issue. There could be minor discomfort after the retrieval of the eggs”
Questioned about the success rate of live birth using thawed and frozen eggs, Oloko said, “It has been well documented that there are successful outcomes. It may be from region to region, lab to lab, expert to expert that determines all that. Quite reasonable rates of success have been registered.”
Speaking on the average financial cost, including annual storage, the surgeon stated, “In our centre, it’s a range a payment is done per quarter, which ranges from ₦550,000 per quarter.”
On what happens to unused eggs if a woman conceives naturally in future, Oloko noted, “A woman holds the ultimate rights and decision about her eggs. If she later conceives naturally in the future and says she does not need the eggs again, we would discard them based on her instruction.”
Oloko also counselled patients dealing with emotional anxiety because of their biological clock, saying, “Many women are made up of emotions, worried about fertility. So what we do is to spot that, and that means the point of the emotions. For instance, a woman is older now. She doesn’t have a child, and you know that the ovarian reserve is low. You have to look at body functions and emotions towards the possibility of having options, other options which include use of donor eggs, use of surrogacy or adoption.
In conclusion, while egg freezing provides flexibility, experts emphasise that it remains an insurance policy rather than a 100% guarantee. High upfront procedures, annual storage costs, and eventual IVF fertilisation fees mean financial planning is as vital as biological timing.
Be the first to comment