Rita Ora, a British singer, songwriter, and television personality best-known for songs such as Hot Right Now, How We Do (Party), and I Will Never Let You Down, has opened up about why she chose to freeze her eggs while she was still in her 20s. According to major media, Ora had two rounds of egg freezing when she was 24 and 27. She quoted a doctor telling her, "Back then, a doctor told me it was a really good time to preserve the best-quality eggs." Ora added, "It was actually the best advice, because now I’m in my mid-30s and I have a lot of friends really trying to figure it out. It will just be more of an expansion when the time comes." The total number of eggs Ora successfully froze remains unknown.
For decades, women were asked to plan their lives around fertility, but now egg freezing offers an alternative. Mr Wael Saab, the senior medical director and fertility consultant at The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health (CRGH), explained the process. He said, "When a lady comes in to freeze her eggs, the first thing that we do is take a medical history to make sure she is fit and healthy and to see if she has any contraindications that could impact the treatment." Specific medical contraindications that might impact egg-freezing treatment are not detailed. Saab continued, "Then we check the ovarian reserve to see how many eggs are still left in the ovaries which give us an idea about how to stimulate the ovaries."
Patients will have injections to stimulate the ovaries that go under the skin of the stomach for a period of 10 to 12 days. Saab noted, "During that time, we monitor the response to that hormonal treatment every other day." The monitoring process involves around three to four scans. He said, "When we are satisfied with how the follicles are growing or how the response to the stimulation is happening, we will then give a particular injection, called 'trigger shock', and around 36-38 hours later we will retrieve the eggs." Saab added, "We try to mimic nature, so try to take the eggs out roughly around day 13 or 14 of the cycle."
The egg-retrieval process usually takes 15 minutes and is done under sedation. Saab described, "During this procedure a needle will cross through the vagina to the ovaries to collect the eggs." Patients will stay in the clinic to rest for around half an hour after the procedure, and they are informed how many eggs have been collected before they go home. Before the treatment starts, Saab said, "We advise the women to make sure they are leading a healthy lifestyle." Preparation advice includes trying to avoid alcohol, caffeine, taking vitamins, optimizing BMI if possible, and reducing stress.
Saab also addressed storage regulations, stating, "Different countries have different regulations, but in the UK eggs are frozen for 55 years, and that can be renewed 10 years at a time." The success rate of egg freezing and subsequent pregnancy for women in their 20s versus older ages is not specified. Costs associated with egg freezing in the UK are also unknown. Long-term health risks associated with the egg-freezing process have not been detailed. The process reflects a shift in reproductive planning, offering women like Ora more control over their fertility timelines.