Egg freezing is a fertility-preservation technique: healthy eggs from a suitable woman are retrieved and stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C, then thawed and fertilized when needed.

For women, fertility declines significantly after age 35. To maximize future success, egg freezing is best done before age 36, when egg quality is reliable and well suited to freezing.

Ms. Liu, 33, runs her own business and is single. She chose egg freezing in Thailand. Running a health-products business with an annual income over 500k RMB, she owns a home and a car. She first heard of egg freezing through news about actress Xu Jinglei, who at 41 said she had the procedure done in the U.S. and called it "the only regret medicine in the world."

In her life plan, the ideal was to meet the right person and conceive naturally. But she also set herself a bottom line — age 35. If no suitable partner appeared by then, she would choose single motherhood. She felt her body was clearly worse than before 30; after COVID she exercised less, couldn't stay up late, and tired easily. Seeing classmates' children, she felt her body sending signals and a clear ovarian urge not to delay.

After deciding to freeze her eggs, Ms. Liu compared agencies and, through a friend, chose lelaiwa. After professional consultation, based on her situation, she ultimately chose a Thai IVF center. Because she was busy, she wanted to minimize time abroad, so lelaiwa arranged a China–Thailand joint consultation: check-ups and stimulation in China, a final check before the trigger shot in Thailand, then the retrieval. Throughout, domestic and Thai doctors consulted together, bridging the cross-border difference with one consistent medical plan. During stimulation in China, lelaiwa guided her daily, with dedicated staff reminding her of precautions; after each check, lelaiwa relayed the monitoring report to both doctors, who adjusted medication accordingly. Stimulation lasted 9 days — high-protein diet, no smoking or alcohol, early rest, all to improve egg quality. On day 9 the doctor said her hormone and follicle levels looked good and she could depart; she booked a flight to Bangkok, and lelaiwa's local team prepared to receive her.

On arrival at Bangkok airport, lelaiwa staff were waiting, warmly receiving her and explaining local customs and habits, adding a travel touch to the trip. To solve the language barrier, lelaiwa arranged an interpreter to help her get familiar with the surroundings and adapt quickly. The next day she returned for an ultrasound and hormone check, the trigger time was set, a nurse came to give the shot, and 36 hours later was the retrieval.

She was nervous — her first time — but the staff explained the process in detail and reassured her, and she calmed down. In the operating room everything was prepared; the anesthesiologist said they were starting, and she fell asleep quickly. Waking in the recovery room, the doctor said the procedure took about ten minutes.

Back at the hotel resting, that afternoon lelaiwa told her 18 follicles were retrieved, 1 empty, and 17 frozen.

She felt fine afterward. She stayed in Thailand 6 days total, no discomfort post-op, observed two more days, visited the Grand Palace and other sights, then lelaiwa staff saw her to the airport. Ms. Liu's trip ended smoothly and she returned home.

Thank you for the medical technology that lets me, at 35, choose the healthy eggs of my 28-year-old self. Thank you for the fate that brought me to lelaiwa; RAIN's service was very thoughtful. — Xiao Mai

Sperm freezing works much like egg freezing: through cryopreservation, sperm meeting fertility criteria are stored at low temperature, preserving the option of fatherhood for men not yet ready to have children. The technique is very mature and easy to perform.

Having a backup I hope never to use, but there if I ever need it. — Lao Liu