{"id":20146,"date":"2026-09-04T08:14:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T08:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=20146"},"modified":"2026-09-04T08:14:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T08:14:26","slug":"serving-country-against-biological-clock-spain-to-fund-egg-freezing-for-women-footballers-what-does-it-mean-off-the-field-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=20146","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Serving country against biological clock&#8217;: Spain to fund egg freezing for women footballers; what does it mean? | Off the field News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133754411,imgsize-130726,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/llm-25.jpg\" alt=\"'Serving country against biological clock': Spain to fund egg freezing for women footballers; what does it mean?\" title=\"Mariona Caldentey, Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Pina and Olga Carmona look on during a training session at RCDE Stadium on June 02, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo\/Getty Images)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Mariona Caldentey, Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Pina and Olga Carmona look on during a training session at RCDE Stadium on June 02, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo\/Getty Images)\">Mariona Caldentey, Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Pina and Olga Carmona look on during a training session at RCDE Stadium on June 02, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Spain&#8217;s football federation is preparing to pay for egg-freezing procedure for its leading women footballers, in a move aimed at helping players balance motherhood with careers at the highest level.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>According to a report by EL Pais, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is finalising an agreement with a fertility clinic that will allow members of the Spain women&#8217;s team to undergo egg vitrification. The agreement is expected to be announced later this month, while discussions continue over the exact terms and costs.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The move comes as more women athletes face the challenge of fitting pregnancy into long sporting careers. <!-- -->A football career can continue into a player&#8217;s thirties, but pregnancy often means several months away from training and competition, and returning to the highest level can be difficult.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Players raised the issue with the federation<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Former Spain captain Alexia Putellas said the team&#8217;s captains had discussed the issue with the federation and welcomed the proposal.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>&#8220;The federation understands that you are serving your country against your biological clock, that you cannot stop and cannot be a mother because you need your body to work,&#8221; Putellas was quoted as saying by EL Pais.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/>&#8220;The group of captains had a concern because it is very important for a player to experience World Cups, but that means that those of us who have the desire to become mothers do not find it easy to fit it in.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>The federation has not yet confirmed whether it will cover the full treatment, only the egg preservation process, or also the egg retrieval procedure.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>What egg freezing means for elite athletes<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Sports medicine specialist Eva Ferrer said egg vitrification has become a topic of discussion in women&#8217;s football only over the past couple of years.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>She explained that there is still limited research on how ovarian stimulation affects athletes. &#8220;There are not enough studies on how the treatment [ovarian stimulation] could affect, for example, the joints or soft tissue,&#8221; Ferrer said as quoted by EL Pais.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>She added that training may need to be adjusted during treatment to reduce the risk of injury. She also said the medications used during the process must be declared through a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) so athletes do not face anti-doping issues.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>The treatment usually lasts about two weeks. During that period, the player injects hormonal medication to stimulate the ovaries so multiple eggs mature instead of one. Doctors then retrieve the eggs through a procedure performed under sedation.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>After the procedure, players may experience bleeding, discomfort, swelling, fluid retention, migraines and lower energy levels while the ovaries recover. Clinics generally recommend collecting around 10 oocytes, though the process can be repeated if needed.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>Gynecologist Rebeca Beguer\u00eda said elite athletes do not return to peak physical condition immediately after treatment.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>&#8220;The medical protocol states that normal life can be resumed, but for a high-performance athlete these are days when you do not perform at the same level: you will not run as fast or at the same intensity,&#8221; she told EL Pais.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>She added that players face a greater risk of injury and abdominal damage during recovery.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>&#8220;Your body&#8217;s blood is redistributed; it is concentrated there; the abdomen and chest are more swollen, there is a tendency to migraines and fluid retention.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>Beguer\u00eda also pointed out that while egg freezing helps players delay pregnancy, it does not remove the medical risks associated with becoming pregnant at an older age.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>&#8220;Medically, the recommendation is that women get pregnant as early as possible, because biologically we are designed to be mothers by, at most, age 35 and we have extended that.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>No clear rules yet in women&#8217;s football<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>The proposal has also highlighted the lack of regulations around fertility treatment in professional women&#8217;s football.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"51\"\/>Lawyer Tania Tejeira wrote in an opinion piece in Palco23 that neither FIFA nor UEFA currently has a specific protocol covering treatments such as egg freezing or other assisted reproductive technologies, despite more players choosing these options.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"53\"\/>At present, the main international guidance comes from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which requires medications used during fertility treatment to be reviewed and, where necessary, approved through a Therapeutic Use Exemption.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/off-the-field\/serving-country-against-biological-clock-spain-to-fund-egg-freezing-for-women-footballers-what-does-it-mean\/articleshow\/133753782.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mariona Caldentey, Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Pina and Olga Carmona look on during a training session at RCDE Stadium on June 02, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo\/Getty Images) Spain&#8217;s football federation is preparing to pay for egg-freezing procedure for its leading women footballers, in a move aimed at helping players balance motherhood with careers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Mariona Caldentey, Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Pina and Olga Carmona look on during a training session at RCDE Stadium on June 02, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo\/Getty Images) Spain&#8217;s football federation is preparing to pay for egg-freezing procedure for its leading women footballers, in a move aimed at helping players balance motherhood with careers [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":4,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/llm-25.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}