Siblings born last month in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, may have come from embryos frozen for a longer time since assisted reproductive technology began.
When Rachel Ridgeway gave birth on October 31st, her healthy twins came from donated embryos 30 years agoaccording to CNN.
“It’s pretty amazing,” her husband, Philip Ridgeway, told the outlet. “In a way, they’re our oldest children, even though they’re our youngest.” The Ridgeways have four other children, ages 8, 6, 3, and nearly 2, but none were conceived via IVF or donors.
The embryos originally belonged to an anonymous couple at a West Coast fertility center, using sperm and eggs from a 34-year-old donor husband. The couple later donated the embryos to the National Embryo Donation Center, according to CNN.
The mother is only three years older than the embryos.
The biological mother of the children was a 34-year-old egg donor and the father was 50 when they were conceived.
As explained by the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC), other embryos that would be siblings of the current ones would have been implanted at some point in the woman.
The medical center has indicated that this birth represents a record so far.
The children waited 15 years at a West Coast fertility clinic and then spent 15 years at the Southeast Fertility Lab.
Molly Gibson, born in 2020 from an embryo frozen for nearly 27 years, was the oldest case used successfully in the past.
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.