Emmy-award-winning TV personality Zuri Hall is opening up for the first time about egg freezing journey, a procedure that has become widely popular in recent years.
In an interview with Access Daily, the 35-year-old Ohio native said that she is happy to see more women pursuing the freezing journey and how important it is for some to make that choice should they see it fit.
“I love seeing this wave of women opening up about the process and why it’s important. This is something close to my heart because I am freezing my eggs,” Hall told the outlet. “I’ve always tried to use my platform to empower women from the inside out. For a long time, that was mental health, and it continues to be, and now fertility is very much a part of that.”
She further revealed that she was unaware that women could begin freezing their eggs in their 20s, although she has no regrets that she began to freeze them in her 30s.
“I want to always be in control of my destiny and what’s coming next. I love when we, as women, can put ourselves in decisions without making choices out of desperation,” Hall said. “I’ve always wanted to be a mother, but I want to do it correctly with the right timeline.”
As a woman in her mid-30s, Hall admits she is aware of the increased risk of pregnancy, but is taking all the precautionary measures to ensure she is healthy for herself and the future children she will bring into the world.
She also advised that women interested in freezing their eggs begin as soon as they can.
“You want to do it when you don’t need to because that’s where you can freeze those healthy eggs.”
Following Hall’s interview with Access Daily, she spoke with Essence about why she decided to be transparent about her egg-freezing journey.
“I was candid and open because I hope more women will be. And I hesitate only because I never want to imply that I want to shame anyone out of sharing or not sharing anything,” she said. “Because the truth of the matter is that we women have had so much shame put on us by society; when it comes to having these conversations, there’s so much that we do in the shadows. Because if we can’t have birth naturally, or if we can’t do it by a certain age, or with a specific person, we’ve gotten it wrong, and somehow we are failing.”
She continued: “I understand why people hesitate to talk about freezing their eggs. It’s a part of why I was even a bit shy about talking about it publicly. I’m 35. I love where I am in my life. I’ve never felt more confident in myself, I’ve never felt stronger or healthier, but if I had known at 25, or 26, or 27, just how much easier specific processes would have been just because of the biology of it and the science, I probably would have taken it a little bit more seriously, particularly because I had the opportunity to freeze my eggs for free.”
She also shared how the process went for her, stating that it was “relatively smooth.”
“I had to take my injections for a little bit longer than the doctor initially suspected that I would. Many women talk about the emotional aspect; for me, mental and emotional wellness is part of my platform. It’s what I’ve talked about in my podcast, Hot Happy Mess, a lot, particularly for black women, why we need to protect our mental and emotional health in high-stress environments, environments that cause burnout.”
“And that was probably the most challenging thing for me, the mental aspect of ‘Man, I’m just doing this alone.’ I shed tears the first few nights because I was stressed and overwhelmed. I couldn’t afford to knock over a vial because it’s not cheap. So you go through all of the emotions of just trying to navigate this process, which can be overwhelming. Right now, I’m a single woman doing this for herself, which can be a very isolating experience.”
But all in all, the experience – with all its ups and downs – will be worth it when she becomes a mother.
“What excites me most about motherhood is the opportunity to create a life but to create this space in which that life gets to become what it will,” she concluded. “I’m excited to see who they will become and support them in that journey of becoming.”
