Spain’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.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’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.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’s thirties, but pregnancy often means several months away from training and competition, and returning to the highest level can be difficult.
Players raised the issue with the federation
Former Spain captain Alexia Putellas said the team’s captains had discussed the issue with the federation and welcomed the proposal.“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,” Putellas was quoted as saying by EL Pais.“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.”The federation has not yet confirmed whether it will cover the full treatment, only the egg preservation process, or also the egg retrieval procedure.
What egg freezing means for elite athletes
Sports medicine specialist Eva Ferrer said egg vitrification has become a topic of discussion in women’s football only over the past couple of 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] could affect, for example, the joints or soft tissue,” Ferrer said as quoted by EL Pais.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.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.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.Gynecologist Rebeca Beguería said elite athletes do not return to peak physical condition immediately after treatment.“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,” 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 is concentrated there; the abdomen and chest are more swollen, there is a tendency to migraines and fluid retention.”Beguería 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.“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.”
No clear rules yet in women’s football
The proposal has also highlighted the lack of regulations around fertility treatment in professional women’s football.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.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.
