"I was bloated, I looked like I was 8 months pregnant" - Sloane Stephens opens up about her difficult egg-freezing experience
Sloane Stephens opened up about her egg-freezing journey in a recent interview, admitting that it was not an easy process by any means. At the same time, the American has no regrets about what she did, especially because of what it will mean for her career.
Stephens has been a vocal advocate for more female athletes freezing their eggs, as it will allow them to prolong their career without worrying about their biological clock. In fact, the former US Open champion has done it herself, doing so at the end of the 2022 season.
Speaking to Cosmopolitan magazine, Sloane Stephens shed further light on why she wanted to freeze her eggs. The 31-year-old emphasized that it is something she knew she wanted to do, as she did not want to stop playing tennis just because her window for child-bearing was getting smaller.
"Freezing my eggs is something that I always knew I wanted to do. My grandpa was an OBGYN, so it was something that we had always spoken about. As I got older, and further in my career, I didn't know how long I was gonna play tennis, but I knew I didn't want to be stopped," Sloane Stephens said.
Expanding on how she felt after the procedure, the World No. 47 conceded that it left her looking bloated and like she was several months pregnant. However, as it was the off season, Sloane Stephens did not have to worrying about it and soon resumed her normal life.
"Everyone is different, and it's obviously not easy, but I didn't feel much pain at all. I did the injections for 12 days during my offseason, and I was bloated and I looked like I was eight months pregnant. I hung out, I did everything that I would have normally done," Stephens said.
"I couldn't play tennis, but it was my offseason anyway. Then it was really easy to do the egg retrieval. I remember I woke up from anesthesia, had Korean barbecue, and then went to a gala that night for my foundation," she added.
"I didn't want my career to dictate whether I could have a baby" - Sloane Stephens
During the interview, Sloane Stephens also spoke about the research she did prior to her egg-freezing process. The American clarified that she did not like the idea of her career dictating whether she could have a baby, which prompted her to look into the matter first.
With the promises of IVF (Invitro Fertilization) and surrogacy now available to women, Stephens is glad that she has done everything in her power to make sure those options are at her disposal as well.
"I didn't want to have to stop my career to have a baby, and I didn't want my career to dictate whether I could have a baby. So I started doing more research on egg freezing and learned about how in the future we use that for IVF or surrogacy, and having those options was really important to me," Sloane Stephens said.
Stephens is married to American soccer star Jozy Altidore since 2022. After a recent appearance at the French Open, she is currently in action at the Birmingham Classic to kick off her grass season.