Freezing your eggs in order to preserve your fertility has become more and more commonplace among women – and celebrities are no exception.
Real Housewives of Miami star Joanna Krupa, 35, is among them. The model, who says that while she's newly married she is still not quite ready to have children, is beginning the process – and has invited PEOPLE along for the experience.
"One of my best friends had a tough time getting pregnant, and her situation had me really thinking about freezing my eggs," Krupa told PEOPLE while getting a checkup at The Fertility Institutes in Encino, California.
"I don't want to regret [not doing it] two, three years down the line, when I'm trying to have kids, in case for some reason I'm infertile. I would never forgive myself."
Krupa says the process of freezing her eggs – which includes blood work, hormone injections and ultrasounds leading up to a retrieval procedure – was done with the full blessing of her husband, Romain Zago, whom she married last June.
"He was all for it. We're not ready to have kids at this moment, and I think it's just safe to have a little security blanket," she says.
While Krupa has had no trouble injecting herself with the hormones ("I'm not afraid of needles," she says), there is one part of the process that's troubling to her, especially as a working model.
"I'm nervous about the water retention, because I know it can be two, five, even 11 lbs. of water retention," she admits. "I had to put to my work on the side, because obviously for the next two weeks I'm not planning on doing anything."
Krupa also says she's experienced "pregnancy brain" from the hormone injections.
"I already went to the gym today with my Uggs on – I didn't bring my gym shoes," she says. "It's only been two days of hormone injections, so I can only imagine a week from now what's going to happen! I'm a little nervous about if I'm going to be crazy, [or] if I'm going to drive my husband nuts."
Krupa says she has no apprehension about the actual egg retrieval process, thanks to her trust in her doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg.
"I don't really have any concerns about what could go wrong because I made a decision to do this, and I think it's a responsible decision this time in my life," she says. "Dr. Steinberg's one of the best doctors to do this type of procedure, and I know I'm in great hands."
