New Delhi: A remark on egg freezing at an IIT Hyderabad counselling session has snowballed into a debate, and now entrepreneur Upasana Konidela is defending her stance. After criticism on social media for urging young women to consider freezing their eggs to prioritise careers, the Apollo Hospitals executive has issued a response on social media, pushing back against charges of hypocrisy and privilege.
Konidela, the Vice Chairperson of Corporate Social Responsibility at Apollo Hospitals, “thanked” people for “respectful responses”, and with two images fact-checked the swirling accusations.
In the first, she asked four questions.
“Is it wrong for a woman to choose when she wants to have children based on her own circumstances?” Konidela asked.
“Is it wrong for a woman to set her goals and focus on her career rather than only thinking of marriage or having children early?” read another question.
Then, she addressed her own choices. Konidela has been criticised for advocating an ‘expensive’ procedure, and also for marrying young (at 27) and then asking other women to marry later in life.
“For me, marriage and career are not competing priorities — they are equally meaningful parts of a fulfilling life. But I decide the timeline. That’s not a privilege, it’s my right!” the statement read.
Konidela is married to Telugu actor Ram Charan. They had their first baby when she was 36. The entrepreneur is now 39 and expecting twins.
She also took a dig at those who called her suggestion of freezing eggs a ‘scam’ by Apollo Hospitals, clarifying that hers weren’t frozen at Apollo. Konidela is the granddaughter of Dr Prathap C Reddy, founder and chairman of Apollo Hospitals.
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The controversy
Konidela, on Monday, had shared a video of the session at IIT on her X account. “The biggest insurance for women is to freeze your eggs. Because then you can choose when to get married, when you want to have kids, on your own terms, when you are financially independent,” Konidela said in the video.
Following this, a Hyderabad-based doctor, Sunita Sayammagaru, countered Upasana Konidela’s assertion that egg-freezing is an insurance for women.
“Even if a woman freezes her eggs, there is no guarantee that this would translate into a successful embryo transfer and successful pregnancy,” Sayamaguru wrote. “As a woman grows old, there are many health factors which would prevent a successful embryo transfer and implantation”.
Another person on X said that Konidela is promoting Apollo’s “egg freezing business”, and warned others to “never follow her advice”.
“You are misleading the young generations with this message.After 30 women lose interest to have kids. Kindly spare our younger generations,” another comment read.
Tagging IIT Hyderabad’s official X page, one user even questioned the institution’s choice of guest speakers.
Konidela also serves as the Managing Director of Family Health Plan Insurance TPA Limited and the Vice Chairperson of Apollo Life, a wellness-focused arm of the Apollo group. She has founded URLife, a holistic wellness platform aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles through digital resources.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)