Entrepreneur Addresses Controversy Over Reproductive Health Advice
Entrepreneur Upasana Kamineni Konidela has publicly addressed the significant backlash she received after recommending that women consider freezing their eggs to focus on their careers and avoid rushing into marriage. The controversy erupted following her session at IIT Hyderabad, where she described egg preservation as "the biggest insurance for women."
Clarifying Intentions and Personal Journey
In a detailed social media post dated November 19, 2025, Upasana directly confronted accusations that she was promoting her family's business, Apollo Hospitals' fertility clinics. She firmly stated, "For the record, it wasn't at Apollo", indicating she underwent the procedure at another facility entirely.
The wife of Telugu superstar Ram Charan shared her personal timeline, revealing she made the decision to freeze her eggs at age 29 for personal and health reasons. She married at 27 for love and companionship, had her first child at 36, and is now expecting twins at 39.
Upasana began her statement with powerful rhetorical questions challenging societal norms: "Is it wrong for a woman to marry for love instead of giving in to societal pressure? Is it wrong for her to wait until she finds the right partner? Is it wrong for a woman to choose when she wants to have children based on her own circumstances?"
Career, Marriage and Reproductive Rights
Emphasizing her balanced approach to life, Upasana explained: "Throughout my journey, I have given equal importance to building my career and nurturing my marriage, because a happy, stable environment matters deeply when raising a family." She firmly stated that managing her own timeline for marriage and children wasn't privilege but her right.
Despite the polarized responses to her original comments, Upasana expressed satisfaction that her words had sparked a healthy debate about women's reproductive choices. She concluded by encouraging employers to work toward getting more women into the workforce and promised to share further thoughts on the "pleasures and pressures of privilege."
As vice-chairperson of CSR at Apollo Hospitals and daughter of promoter director Shobana Kamineni, Upasana continues to be a prominent voice in discussions about women's health and empowerment in India.
