HEMA SINGULURI | Hyderabad 

A single remark by entrepreneur and philanthropist Upasana Konidela has set off a storm across social media, triggering intense debates on career priorities, biological timelines, and the evolving idea of motherhood.

The controversy erupted after Upasana spoke at a session with students at IIT Hyderabad, where she openly discussed her decision to freeze her eggs. She credited the choice for giving her the freedom to build her career without feeling pressured by age, urging young women to consider egg freezing as an option if they wish to focus on their professional growth first.

But what Upasana framed as an empowering suggestion quickly snowballed into criticism. Many felt she was normalising postponing pregnancy without addressing the medical, financial, and emotional complexities involved.

Facing growing backlash, Upasana took to social media with a detailed clarification. Calling the whole discussion a “healthy debate,” she insisted her intention was never to offer blanket advice, but to highlight that every woman has the right to choose her own timeline. Sharing her own life milestones—married at 27, eggs frozen at 29, first child at 36, now expecting twins at 39—she emphasized that careers and motherhood can coexist without society’s rigid sequencing.

Jhanvi S, a 26-year-old employee, says egg freezing is too complex to be promoted casually.

“It’s medical, personal, and expensive. It comes with side effects. Telling all young women to do it isn’t responsible,” she says. “Some may want to delay pregnancy, but many prefer conceiving naturally earlier.”

“It’s a luxury, not a choice for everyone”

For Spandana P, a 29-year-old PG student, Upasana’s comment felt unrealistic.

“Egg freezing is not a simple ‘choice’. It’s a luxury. Many women struggle to afford basic healthcare, let alone spend lakhs on fertility treatment,” she explains.

“When celebs talk like this, it sounds like everyone can just ‘pause’ biology. Most of us don’t have that privilege.”

“She opened an important conversation”

On the other side is Lavanya Atluri, 34, a working mother, who sees Upasana’s remark as progressive.

“Egg freezing gives women control. Many of my colleagues chose it simply to plan better, not because they’re rich,” she says.

“For me, her message was that marriage, career, and motherhood don’t need to follow a fixed order. That’s empowering.”

While critics call Upasana “out of touch,” her supporters argue she is being misunderstood.

What remains clear is this: her comment has pushed a rarely discussed topic—reproductive autonomy—into mainstream conversation, exposing the stark realities of privilege, choice, and women’s lived experiences in modern India.