“We serve the country against the biological clock”: Spain to fund egg freezing for soccer players; What does this mean
Mariona Caldentey, Irene Paredes, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Pina and Olga Carmona look on during training at RCDE Stadium on June 2, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo/Getty Images) The Spanish Football Federation is set to pay for egg freezing for its top female footballers, in a move aimed at helping the players balance motherhood with a career at the highest level.According to a report by EL Pais, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is finalizing an agreement with a fertility clinic that will allow members of the Spanish women’s team to undergo egg vitrification. The deal is expected to be announced later this month, while discussions continue over the exact terms and costs.The move comes as more female athletes face the challenge of fitting pregnancy into a long sporting career. A football career can continue into a player’s thirties, but pregnancy often means months away from training and competition, and returning to the highest level can be difficult.
The players brought the problem to the attention of the federation
Former Spain captain Alexia Putellas said team captains had discussed the issue with the federation and welcomed the proposal.“The federation understands that you serve your country against your biological clock, that you can’t stop and you can’t be a mother because you need your body to function,” Putellas said, according to EL Pais.“The captains group were concerned because it’s very important for a player to experience the World Cup, but that means it’s not easy for those of us who are aspiring mothers to fit in.”The federation has not yet confirmed whether it will cover the entire treatment, only the egg preservation process, or the egg retrieval procedure as well.
What egg freezing means for elite athletes
Sports medicine specialist Eva Ferrer said egg vitrification has only become a topic of discussion in women’s football in the last few years.She explained that there is still limited research on how ovarian stimulation affects athletes. “There are not enough studies on how the treatment (ovarian stimulation) might affect joints or soft tissues, for example,” Ferrer said, according to EL Pais.She added that training may need to be modified during treatment to reduce the risk of injury. She also said that drugs used during the process must be declared through a Therapeutic Exemption (TUE) so athletes will not face anti-doping problems.Treatment usually lasts about two weeks. During this period, the player injects hormonal drugs that stimulate the ovaries so that more eggs mature instead of one. Doctors then retrieve the eggs using a procedure performed under sedation.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, although the process can be repeated if necessary.Gynecologist Rebeca Beguería said that elite athletes do not return to peak physical condition immediately after treatment.“The medical protocol states that a normal life can be resumed, but for a high-performance athlete, these are the days when you do not perform at the same level: you do not run as fast or with the same intensity,” she told EL Pais.She added that players face a greater risk of injury and abdominal damage during recovery.“Your body’s blood is redistributed; it’s concentrated there; the abdomen and chest are more swollen, there’s a tendency for migraines and fluid retention.”Beguería also pointed out that while egg freezing helps players delay pregnancy, it does not eliminate the health risks associated with getting pregnant at an older age.“Medically, it’s recommended that women get pregnant as soon as possible because we’re biologically designed to be mothers by the age of 35 at the most and we’ve extended that.”
There are still no clear rules in women’s football
The proposal also highlighted the lack of regulations regarding infertility treatment in professional women’s football.In an opinion in Palco23, lawyer Tania Tejeira wrote that neither FIFA nor UEFA currently have a specific protocol covering treatments such as egg freezing or other assisted reproductive technologies, even though more players are opting for these options.Currently, the main international recommendation comes from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which requires drugs used during infertility treatment to be reviewed and, if necessary, approved through a therapeutic exemption.