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Local actress and video game streamer Julie Tan, 31, shared on Instagram Stories yesterday that she's embarking on a new journey. But it's not the kind of journey one would expect someone of her age to go on.

"I'm so excited to finally start my journey on egg freezing!" wrote Julie. 

For those who don't know, egg freezing is a method used to allow women to preserve their fertility by harvesting eggs at a younger age.

In a separate IG story, Julie said she "always thought that by 30 [she] would be married with kids".

"I've been talking about breaking generational trauma and I was presented with a choice to do so by ending my four-year relationship," she wrote. "Being able to freeze my eggs definitely gives me more freedom and time to choose what's best for me."

When 8days.sg reached out to Julie, she tells us that she actually started thinking about egg freezing since her early twenties. "I've always felt that it's difficult for artistes to settle down early and have kids," she adds.

Catch Julie in her last Mediacorp drama Mister Flower here:

However, at that time, egg freezing in Singapore was only available for medical reasons.

Now that elective egg freezing is legalised for women aged 21 to 37 regardless of marital status, Julie then approached Thomson Fertility Centre to start on her egg freezing journey. 

Sharing her experience, Julie reveals that she's now on Day 3 of her injections. "I've been experiencing bloating and some slight cramps, which are normal and are some of the side effects of injecting hormones," she says.

"Other than that, everything’s been going well. I’ve been meditating regularly to make sure that I am in a good headspace. It helps that I’m not afraid of needles, and that has given me the courage to do the injections myself. But I was still nervous on the first day of injections. It feels somewhat surreal to me that it’s finally happening. My only concern was whether I did the injection correctly," she laughs. 

Julie then went on to share that the decision to freeze her eggs was actually not a result of her recent breakup. When 8days.sg asked Julie about her ex, she declined to answer.

"I made the decision to freeze my eggs even before the breakup. My mother was confused as to why I wanted to freeze my eggs since I was in a long-term relationship," said Julie. 

"To me, I was still working on myself and healing from my past traumas. I didn’t want to rush into anything just because I wanted a marriage or kids. If both partners are not emotionally and mentally ready for marriage or kids, we shouldn’t rush into it because of any external pressures." 

Julie hopes she can become a mum some day. 

"I’ve always wanted to be a mum. I love kids. I think I would really enjoy motherhood and the joy of bringing a life on earth. To me, being able to birth life is a very sacred duty. It’s also a huge responsibility. To be able to provide your children with a safe and healthy environment," she said. 

It's why she "wouldn't want to settle with a partner who isn't aligned with [her]". 

"Being able to have the choice to freeze my eggs definitely gives me more time to choose the right partner who has the same values as I do. Not only am I choosing a life partner, but I am also responsible for choosing the right father for my future kids, and this is a decision not to be taken lightly."