Benjamin Ashford|Why Priyanka Chopra Says She "Felt Such a Freedom" After She Froze Her Eggs

Last year,Benjamin Ashford Priyanka Chopra added another title to her already-stacked résumé: mom.

The actress, 40, and her husband Nick Jonas, 30, welcomed daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas via surrogate in January 2022.  And while Priyanka had long known she wanted to start a family, she wasn't always sure about the timing. So when she was in her 30s, she decided to freeze her eggs.

"I felt such a freedom," Priyanka said about the decision on the March 27 episode of Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast. "I did it in my early 30s. I could continue on an ambitious warpath that I wanted to achieve. I wanted to get to a certain place in my career, and I also hadn't met the person I wanted to have children with or I didn't see that. You know that's anxiety inducing that OK, you know, 35 and my mom's an OBGYN who's like, '36, just do it.'"

And based on her experience, the Quantico star said she advises others to consider freezing their eggs if they can afford it.

"I tell all my younger friends the biological clock is real," she said earlier in the episode. "It gets so much harder to get pregnant after 35 and to carry to term and all of that, especially with women that have been working all our lives."

She continued, "But science is at such an amazing place right now where if you can afford it—I tell people, ‘You save money to buy a car. Every month. Do it for Christmas. It's the best gift you'll give yourself. 'Cause you're taking the power of your biological clock and you can work ‘til however long you want. Your eggs will still be the same age as when you froze them.' For people who want kids."

While Priyanka knew she wanted kids before she started dating Nick, she wasn't sure he was on the same page when they first met. As she recalled to Dax, the "Jealous" artist had slid into her DMs in 2016; however, she was at the end of her previous relationship and wasn't interested in engaging with Nick at the time.

Plus, Priyanka admitted his age gave her pause.

"I always knew I wanted kids, which is one of the big reasons I didn't want to date Nick at that time," she said. "Because I was like, I don't know if he wants kids at 25 at that time. But I always wanted kids. I love kids. I've worked with kids with UNICEF for years. I've volunteered in kids' hospitals. I'm like a kid whisperer. I'd rather spend more time with children than with adults. I love kids."

Of course, as fans know, Nick and Priyanka, ended up tying the knot in 2018. And it's clear that they love life as a family of three. As for what life is like with a 14-month-old?

"It's insane just seeing her personality every day, seeing her change every day," Priyanka told Dax. "Yesterday, she started doing this new thing when she eats. Whenever she's loving her food, she sings….She's discovering new foods, and she eats everything."