U.S. woman gives birth using embryo frozen 24 years ago
Leftover IVF egg used in case; could be a record
NEW YORK • When Tina and Benjamin Gibson married, they knew that it was unlikely they would naturally have children, given Benjamin’s cystic fibrosis.
But now Tina, 26, has given birth to a daughter, Emma — born from an embryo that was frozen 24 years ago, a new world record.
“I was like ‘ wow,’ if this embryo had been born when i t was supposed to have been, we could have been best friends, I’m only 25,’ ” she said.
The Tennessee couple had fostered children and mulled over the idea of adoption, before they were made aware of embryo freezing.
Tina had submitted the paperwork for embryo adoption in August 2016, meaning that she would be impregnated with an embryo donated by another couple following their own fertilization treatment.
Around 20 per cent of in vitro fertilizations ( IVF) result in leftover eggs, leaving the couples involved with three options: they can have them disposed of, donated for research, or donated to another couple. Eggs donated to other couples can wait in frozen suspension for years before being chosen and are colloquially known as “snow babies.”
After undergoing a series of tests and gaining state approval for the adoption, Tina and Benjamin spent two weeks reading through the profiles of 300 donors to decide on a match, and the pair, who are both physically slight, narrowed the list down by weight and height. The couple’s first choice was not a viable match so they moved on to their second choice.
Three eggs from an anonymous donor, were transferred to Tina and one implanted, resulting in her pregnancy. It was then that doctors informed them that they had made a potentially record-breaking selection.
“People say, ‘ oh it’s science,’ but no I think it’s a gift from the Lord,” she said. “It’s a gift from the Lord, for sure.”
The National Embryo Donation Center ( NEDC) in the Tennessee city of Knoxville, which enabled Tina’s pregnancy, said that their newborn daughter holds the record for the longest-frozen embryo to come to birth.
The embryo was frozen on Oct 14, 1992, when Tina was about 18 months old. It was thawed on March 13, 2017, making it 24 years old. Tina said: “Twenty four- and- ahalf years ago God knew she was going to be part of our family, and I tear up thinking about it as she is just such a blessing.”
Experts pointed out that it was impossible to verify whether the Gibson family does indeed hold the record.
Zaher Merhi, director of IVF research and development at New Hope Fertility Center in New York, told CNN that companies are not required to report the age of the embryos they transfer, just the outcome of the pregnancies.
“Nobody has these records,” he said.
Some experts say the previous record was set in 2011, when a woman gave birth to a boy born from a frozen embryo created 20 years earlier. But regardless of the historical significance, the Gibson family were filled with joy.
“I don’t care if it’s a world record or not,” said Tina.
Her husband added: “Emma is such a sweet miracle. I think she looks pretty perfect to have been frozen all those years ago.”
LOOKS PRETTY PERFECT TO HAVE BEEN FROZEN ALL THOSE YEARS.