An interview of Rita Ora on freezing her eggs hit the headlines because she opted for oocyte cryopreservation in her 20s, which is unusual. Women opt for egg freezing only if they haven’t met anyone by the time they’re past their fertile years, which is around the mid-30s.
The most fertile age for women is said to be their early 20s but fertility levels typically do not decline significantly until the mid to late 30s.
While freezing eggs when they are at their best quality can help secure your chances of future pregnancy through IVF, most people expect to get married/have kids in their late 20s or early 30s, hoping they’d never need the freezing procedure. So, freezing is rarely ever done in the early 20s but Rita Ora certainly had her reasons.
Taking the ‘best decision’ of her life
Rita Ora started believing from a very young age that one should make the best use of what they have and make the most of it. Appearing on an Australian Breakfast TV show Sunrise, Ora says, “Coming from nothing, I don’t want to say ‘no’ to anything.”
So, when her family doctor advised ‘you are healthy now and it would be great, why not put them away and then you never have to worry about it again?’, she took it very positively and chose to freeze her eggs not once, but twice!
“Well, I think it’s amazing the technology that we have to kind of really take control of our own destinies,” Rita had said about her egg freezing back in 2017.
A woman’s fertility is said to peak in her early 20s and starts declining after her mid-30s. Additionally, as the eggs lose quality with age, there are some chances of the child having chromosomal disorders, when conceived after the age of 35.
Women with higher egg reserve or better egg quality, you have a higher chance of conceiving.
Always wanted a big family
Right from a very early age, independent Rita Ora always dreamt of having a big family. However, having children hasn’t necessarily been top of her immediate bucket list. After learning from her family doctor that human eggs are at their best in their early 20s, Ora chose to freeze her eggs at 24. She did it again at the age of 27.
“I think as women, we put that pressure on ourselves, subconsciously, because we feel like that is our duty – to create and give life. So, I just wanted to not worry about it. And I didn’t after, and it was the best thing I ever did,” she said in an interview with The Independent.
Going against the social norm
Having her origins in Kosovo where conceiving is considered probably one of the easiest things in the world, Rita Ora was charged with many questions when she took this decision.
She explained that having children is very important in Kosovan culture.
The cost of freezing eggs is quite high and no one in her very traditional family could understand why she needed to spend so much on having children.
Despite this, she received support from her mother, who is a psychiatrist for the NHS.
Apparently, Ora’s hormones levels were not normal, and the artist’s mother was constantly worried about her daughter’s health. She also suffered from panic attacks and anxiety, which she has slowly channelized into excitement and ‘encouraging emotion’.
“You’re healthiest now and I think it would be great, why don’t you put them away now and you’ll never have to worry about it again?” Ora’s family doctor had told her.
Although she was still young, she went for it because she’s a “big believer in using what we have and making the most of it”.
Romance, marriage, and family with Taika Waititi
Rita was first spotted with her now husband—New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi—while she was filming for The Voice in Australia in early 2021. After keeping their relationship low-key for several months, the couple got married in summer of 2022 in a small, private ceremony.
“I’ve always wanted the fairytale, that’s what I grew up loving. For me, it was always about that love, finding a partner, so I’m really happy I did. I love Taika.” Ora said in an episode of Jaime Winstone’s ‘Greatest Night Ever’ podcast.
Rita Ora’s children
Waititi already has two daughters: Te Kāinga o te Hinekāhu, 12, and Matewa Kiritapu, 8, with his ex-wife.
Ora is now 33 years of age. She has two batches of eggs frozen at a young age; she wouldn’t have to worry about having her own children later in life.
Would you consider egg freezing?
If you are just like Rita Ora, who is mentally or physically not prepared to have a baby at present, you might be considering egg freezing.
Many women today start freezing their eggs in their late 30s, which can be a bit ‘too late’. However, it all depends upon your individual fertility levels.
Hollywood actor Jennifer Aniston’s IVF journey was recently in the news as she expressed how difficult it had been for her since back then, no one suggested her to freeze the eggs.
With egg freezing, you take your fertility into your own hands without compromising on your personal and professional wishes.
However, unless you have premature ovarian failure or are undergoing some aggressive cancer therapies, you can put off egg freezing to your early to mid-30s, if you want to take a chance to conceive naturally in that duration.