Continuing the legacy of football legend Joe Thompson, his wife Chantelle revealed she is pregnant with his baby after IVF treatment using frozen embryos. Joe Thompson died in 2025 after developing cancer for a third time - beating the illness twice. But after the former Manchester United star was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma for a third time, which had spread to his lungs, he died aged 36. "It just means absolutely everything. I know it's never going to replace Joe obviously. Joe's Joe. But to be able to bring his baby into the world again is beautiful," Chantelle said. She said Joe had two visions of their family with a baby boy before he died, and he even gave her the name for the baby boy he predicted, and she got pregnant on her first attempt of IVF after he had died. How Egg Freezing Works Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is an option that has gained significant traction in recent years. It offers women the ability to pause their biological clock and preserve the possibility of having children in the future. Egg freezing takes a woman's unfertilized eggs from her ovaries and stores them at sub-zero temperatures to be utilized later. It is made to enable women to keep their fertility intact, especially if they are not yet ready to have a baby. Dr. Pavithra M, Obstetrician, Gynecologist, and Infertility Specialist, told HealthandMe that the workup begins with hormone workup and evaluation of various parameters, such as age, body mass index (BMI), and ovarian reserve. "On the second day of the menstrual cycle, baseline ultrasound scanning is performed to assess the number of follicles; thereafter, various tests of blood are conducted to assess hormone levels. If a woman's parameters are all normal, then she is administered hormonal injections for about 10-12 days." It causes ovarian hyperstimulation and multiple mature eggs, monitored through ultrasound scans. A trigger shot is administered once the follicles have reached optimal size to help with final egg maturation. It takes 34-35 hours from the trigger shot, wherein eggs are retrieved by minimally invasive procedures under general anesthesia. "Using a transvaginal ultrasound probe with a needle, each follicle is punctured, and the follicular fluid is aspirated. The retrieved eggs are then screened for quality before undergoing vitrification—a rapid freezing technique that minimizes ice crystal formation and cellular damage," Dr. Pavithra added. The eggs are then stored in liquid nitrogen tanks for long-term preservation. While egg freezing is possible at various stages of life, experts recommend doing it at an optimal age -- in the late 20s or early 30s when the eggs are of higher quality-- for better outcomes.