Across Iran, a quiet shift is underway in how women approach motherhood. Faced with a difficult marriage market, soaring living costs, and the lingering shadow of regional conflict, a growing number are choosing to freeze their eggs — not for medical reasons, but to buy time.
Doctors and fertility specialists report a steady rise in the procedure, once reserved mainly for cancer patients or those with medical conditions threatening their fertility. Now, it is increasingly a choice made by healthy women in their late 30s who are single, or in unstable relationships, and who refuse to let their biological clock dictate their future.
Singlehood and the question of virginity
For single women, the decision is often complicated by deeply ingrained social norms. Mina, a 37-year-old who recently underwent the procedure, told European Pulse: “So far, I haven’t found anyone with whom I could have a stable relationship. It may take several years to meet someone, and I don’t want to lose time in the meantime.”
Her social circle was largely supportive, but some questioned her sanity given Iran's current circumstances. “Are you crazy? You want to have a child in conditions like these?” they asked.
The procedure itself can raise delicate questions about virginity. When Mina visited a gynaecologist, another patient, a mother of two, bluntly asked if she was still a virgin. “I found it very strange. But I’ve accepted that part of society still thinks this way,” she said.
Dr Marzieh Sanoui Farimani, head of the Omid Fertility Centre in Hamadan, explained that some single women worry the egg retrieval could damage the hymen. “There is a possibility of that happening,” she said. “We usually advise these women to go to the forensic medicine organisation one or two days before the egg retrieval and obtain a certificate.”
The soaring cost of freezing time
The financial burden is another major hurdle. Mina was quoted 80 million tomans (about €502) for egg retrieval at a private hospital — roughly two months' wages — and half that at a public hospital. But that was just the start. Injections, if bought at full price, can add another 70 to 80 million tomans. Even with insurance, the cost remains significant.
Nasrin, who froze her eggs at 38, said the total cost of doctors' appointments, tests, and ultrasounds nearly doubled during the six months it took to prepare. “Every time, I would search several pharmacies, while my sister would simultaneously check others so that we could find everything we needed,” she recalled. The medication must be injected at precise times, and missing a dose could jeopardise the outcome.
Annual storage fees have also climbed, from 600,000 tomans (€3.77) in 2022 to 3.2 million tomans (€20.08) today.
A policy gap for single women
In November 2023, Iran's parliament approved a measure to extend basic health insurance coverage for egg freezing to single women over 30, part of a broader push to boost birth rates. But the policy has yet to be fully implemented. “Insurance companies generally do not cover the cost of egg freezing unless there is a medical indication,” said Dr Farimani, citing cases like cancer or autoimmune diseases.
The demographic stakes are high. Iran has 7.3 million unmarried men aged 20–54 and 6.9 million unmarried women aged 15–49, according to the latest report from the country's Population Monitoring Centre. With registered marriages and births declining, the government is increasingly concerned about the country's demographic future.
Dr Farimani notes that most women still seek the procedure after 35, sometimes close to 40, when success rates are lower. “Of course, things have improved compared with the past, and as public awareness has increased, women are coming in at younger ages to freeze their eggs,” she said. She also pointed to a rise in endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome among young Iranian women, conditions that can affect fertility.
Married women, too, are waiting
Egg freezing is not only for single women. Pooneh, a married woman, chose to freeze her eggs because of marital tensions. “I was worried that our disagreements might leave the child alone in the future, or that our arguments could harm them,” she said. “At the same time, I didn’t want to reach a point where my disagreements with my husband became so severe that I would be forced to stay in a marriage I no longer wanted because of the child.”
The war and economic instability have also played a role, prompting some women to delay childbearing until they feel more secure. As one specialist put it, the decision to freeze eggs is often a rational response to an unpredictable environment — a way to preserve choice in a country where the future feels increasingly uncertain.
For many Iranian women, the procedure is not just about biology; it is about autonomy. In a society where marriage and motherhood are still seen as the norm, freezing eggs offers a measure of control over one's life path. Yet the high costs, social stigma, and policy gaps mean that for many, the option remains out of reach.
