Photo/Illutration Figure skater Misato Komatsubara, background, sees Yasunori Komatsu, director of the Roppongi Ladies Clinic, on July 4 in preparation to freeze her eggs. (Yu Iwasa)

Figure skater Misato Komatsubara asked a question: “Have you ever talked about the egg freezing method” or other fertility treatments with your wife?

This question may catch many husbands off guard, not only readers, but also many of the news reporters present when she asked that question.

Many have never talked seriously with their spouses about fertility treatments and the balance between work and pregnancy and delivery.

As an ice dance member, Komatsubara, 31, won a bronze medal in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Yu Iwasa, an Asahi Shimbun reporter, was then informed of Komatsubara’s interest in the egg cryopreservation procedure.

Komatsubara has her sights set on competing at the 2026 Games and is wondering how to give shape to her future career.

While she does not have any concrete plans about children at present, Komatsubara wants to keep her options open for giving birth in the future, while still pursuing an athletic path.

In early July, Komatsubara visited a medical center to discuss the process of cryopreserving her eggs.

She understands that freezing her eggs for future use does not 100 percent guarantee that she will be able to have children later, but she hopes to have that option.

With her request in mind, The Asahi Shimbun provided an opportunity for Komatsubara to discuss the matter online with snowboarder Tomoka Takeuchi in May. Takeuchi, 39, had faced the same concerns and had her eggs frozen for storage.

Komatsubara made astonishingly thorough preparations for the meeting.

“It is a great opportunity for me to hear about the experience of another athlete who has tried this procedure,” said Komatsubara. “I have seven questions to ask.”

Komatsubara peppered Takeuchi with queries and eagerly wrote down Takeuchi’s answers.

“Most figure skaters are in their teens,” Komatsubara stated. “Few athletes from my generation are still active in the sport. No information (on ovum preservation) is available for me.”

Komatsubara recounted her anxiety. It had been difficult for her to discuss these issues with those around her, given that figure skaters typically bring an end to their careers in the first half of their 20s or earlier with an eye toward marriage and child rearing.

Her story offered an important lesson for the sports media.

A huge spotlight is often put on the accomplishments of female athletes in their teens. But comprehensive reports on their post-retirement lives are few and far between.

Professional and elite level athletes typically discontinue their sports careers at an early age. Even so, many female athletes must have made decisions to retire before they were ready, after being torn between sticking to their sporting careers or living as mothers outside the athletic community.

Media reporters should relate more to the feelings of athletes, recognizing them as individuals with lives beyond their brief careers as professional sports athletes.

Komatsubara’s words also point out how important it is for husbands to consider issues unique to women in their daily lives as well.

-- Born in Tokyo in 1990, Iwasa started his career as a news reporter in The Asahi Shimbun in 2012 and has covered soccer, figure skating, skateboarding and other events since he joined its sports department in 2016.

For more stories, visit his account on X, formerly Twitter, at yu_iwa3.

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