Sports
Tennis pro Sloane Stephens on advocating egg freezing
No female tennis professional has ever publicly commented on freezing her eggs before. Has anyone done it? Probably. Actually, it almost certainly is one incredibly common processand many women practice the sport well into their thirties and even early forties (Venus Williams, everyone?). But for some reason, conversations about fertility and women's bodies in general are still perceived as awkward and awkward, leaving them shrouded in secrecy. But US Open champion Sloane Stephens hopes to change that.
Sloane froze her eggs for the first time in 2022, when she was 29, at a fertility care company Friendliness. She plans to do another round at the end of this season, and she doesn't care who knows. In fact, the Florida native, who is married to former professional football player Joze Altidore, wants just about anything everyone to know, because it's time we normalize female athletes making choices for themselves and their futures, she says. 'Because no woman should have to choose between their career and their family.
Not only is Sloane stepping up and leading the conversation, but she's also fighting to make some big changes for women within the tennis community. She is calling for egg freezing to become a protected ranking activity within the Women's Tennis Association, meaning players can undergo the process during the season without their ranking, which determines which tournaments they can play in, changing due to time off.
I sat down with the ESPY winner earlier this week to talk about why she's so passionate about the subject, and why she's willing to be open about it, and dare I say it was a grand slam? Keep reading for the convo below.
So you're currently advocating for egg freezing to become a “protected rankings activity” in tennis. Can you explain why that is so important?
Tennis is an interesting sport because you can play it for a very long time. And being a female athlete in general is difficult because it can feel like you have to choose between career and family because we have the kids and our bodies are our vehicles. And that's just not a position you ever want to be in, especially if you're in a good place in your career.
For female tennis players like me, so much time and planning has to go into freezing your eggs because you have to do it in the first week of your off-season if you don't want it to affect your game. . And these logistics are a barrier for people. So I think it's important that egg freezing, and even IVF, is added to the protected rankings. That way, your ranking won't drop and you can still compete in tournaments when you're properly healed and ready to return. [Editor’s note: Time off for injuries and mental health breaks are also “protected” in tennis.] Women should not rush to return to tennis and risk getting injured.
What progress have you made so far?
We fought for it through the WTA Player's Council, where they are also working on better maternity leave. But it is a process. And it takes a long time. Freezing eggs is not done very often [in tennis]so we're kind of starting with a blank slate and advocating for the girls who might want to do this in the future.
Have you seen any changes in the tennis community?
Yes! There have been two more [pro tennis players] which I know it actually did after I did it. We have a pretty open locker room, and I think the more we talk about it, the more people will do it. I guess there should always be one guinea pig, and in this case I was the one who raised my hand. And I think this has helped many other girls feel confident in their decision to do the same.
What do you want to tell women who feel like they have to choose between career and family?
Just be proactive. Think about what you want and plan early. Don't be ashamed or afraid to ask questions, because ultimately you are the one who will decide what you want for your future. It is your choice. It's your journey. It's your body. And I think that's something that you should have the strength of, and not be afraid of.
You're a stepmother too, aren't you?
Yes, our son is nine and he is amazing and makes me want to have more children. I always knew I wanted to be a mother and have a big family. I love children, so for me becoming a stepmother was a very easy transition.
Sloane with her husband, Jozy Altidore, and stepson.
What made you decide to embark on your own egg freezing journey?
Freezing my eggs is something I always knew I wanted to do. My grandfather was a midwife, so it was something we had always talked about. As I got older, and further into my career, I didn't know how long I would be playing tennis, but I knew I didn't want to be held back. I didn't want to stop my career to have a child, and I didn't want my career to determine whether I could be have a baby. So I started doing more research on egg freezing and learning how we can use that in the future for IVF or surrogacy, and it was really important to me to have those options.
What was the process like for you when you first did it two years ago?
Everyone is different, and it's obviously not easy, but I didn't feel much pain at all. I did the injections for twelve days during my off-season, and I was bloated and looked like I was eight months pregnant. I hung out, I did everything I normally would have done. I couldn't play tennis, but it was still my off season. Then it was very easy to collect the eggs. I remember waking up from anesthesia, having a Korean BBQ, and going to a gala for my foundation that night.
Do you remember how you felt at the end?
I was glad I did it and that we got the eggs. And I was happy that I could do it from start to finish without any complications. I think women need to hear that it's not scary, and that you can do it and it will be completely fine.
Hannah Chubb is lifestyle editor at Cosmopolitan, about all things home, travel, food, health, career and more. She spends virtually every hour of her day searching for the best new products, trends and travel destinations on the internet. You can usually find her searching Zillow or Airbnb for houses she can't afford, planning her next meal before heading to the restaurant, or taking all the Justin Bieber classes over and over again on Peloton. Follow her further Instagram.
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