US baby boy born from embryo frozen for over 30 years
The child developed from an embryo donated in 1994 and kept for 11,148 days, believed to be the longest storage time before birth
A baby boy born last week to a US couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be the longest storage time before a birth.
In what is known as embryo adoption, Lindsey and Tim Pierce used a handful of donated embryos that had been frozen since 1994 in pursuit of having a child after fighting infertility for years. Their son was born on Saturday from an embryo that had been in storage for 11,148 days, which the Pierces’ doctor said set a record.
It is a concept that has been around since the 1990s but is gaining traction as some fertility clinics and advocates, often Christian-centred, oppose discarding leftover embryos because of their belief that life begins at or around conception and that all embryos deserve to be treated like children who need a home.
“I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did,” said Linda Archerd, 62, who donated her embryos to the Pierces.
About two per cent of births in the US are the result of in vitro fertilisation, and an even smaller fraction involves donated embryos.
However, medical experts estimate that about 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently being stored throughout the country, with many of those in limbo as parents wrestle with what to do with their leftover embryos created in IVF labs.