Anika is a 28-year-old working woman in Chennai.
Reasons for marriage
I have always been an ambitious girl who has prioritised learning and work. After finishing college, I started working in a small firm. By the time I was 26, my career was going well but there were a lot of things that I wanted to accomplish.
All this while, my parents began asking "the" question about marriage. I have always been grateful to my parents for making me who I am today. So instead of ignoring their concerns, I had a conversation with them. I realised that they wanted me to marry young because they did not want me to have problems related to conception later in life. Since I also wanted to have kids, their concern seemed reasonable. But there was one issue - I was not ready to get married at 26.
An alternative
It was somewhere around this time, I remembered the story of an actress I had read in a magazine. She had conceived at the age of 39 via frozen eggs. Always an admirer of science, especially in the field of contraception, I decided to know more about the process.
I went to an IVF clinic in the city to talk to an expert. As a result of the conversation, I came to know about the steps, finances and credibility of getting my eggs frozen. The only worry I had at that point was how would I convert this to my parents.
Nevertheless, I decided to talk to them despite the initial awkwardness. It took a few months for them to accept my side of the story and once we were all in agreement, I went ahead and got my eggs frozen.
Doing this together
The best part is that my father said no to the proposals for grooms that were coming in. Moreover, my mother accompanied me to the IVF clinic throughout the week-long process of egg retrieval.
The process took time and did not involve any kind of surgical intervention, as one may assume. The eggs that were taken out went for tests and the ones that were best suited for fertilization were ultimately frozen.
At present, I am 28 and still not ready for marriage. I am working in a bigger firm, doing the job I am good at and earning what I deserve.
But miles to go before I….
There still are a few milestones I aim to accomplish in my career. I want to have a kid but when I am mentally, financially and emotionally ready and in a relationship with the person, I truly love. I hope that day comes soon. Until then, my eggs will stay fit for fertilization and when I wish to become a mother in my 30s, my kid will be born healthy.
To protect the identity, the person in the picture is a model and names have been changed.
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