30-year-old twins born from frozen embryos were recently welcomed by a Tennessee couple.
In a hospital in Tennessee, Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born as twins on October 31. These infants are not your typical ones, though, since they have been frozen embryos for the past 30 years, having been created back in 1992.
Couple of Preserved Embryos Since 1992
Even though Rachel and Philip already had four children, they decided to grow their family a few years ago after learning about embryo donation. Frozen embryos are put into the woman’s embryo using this method.
The National Embryo Donation Center claims that Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway are believed to be the longest-frozen children ever to be born.
The previous record holder was Molly Gibson, who was born in 2020 from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 27 years. Emma’s record, which was made from a 24-year-old frozen embryo, was stolen by Molly.
The embryos for a married couple who wishes to remain nameless were created using in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The egg donor needed to be 34 years old, while the father needed to be in his early 50s.
On April 22, 1992, in particular, the embryos were frozen. IVF is a sophisticated series of procedures used to help with fertility, prevent genetic problems, or aid in child conception. In this operation, mature eggs are removed from the ovaries and fertilized with sperm in a lab.
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Frozen Embryos
The twin embryo was kept in liquid nitrogen for over three decades at a temperature of more than 200 degrees below zero in a container that resembles a propane tank on tiny straws.
The matured embryos were kept at a reproductive lab on the West Coast until 2007 when the couple who created them opted to donate them to the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, so that another couple may use them.
The five embryos were shipped to Knoxville overnight in specially made tanks, according to Dr. John Gordon, the Ridgeways’ doctor. The Ridgeways underwent a technique known in medicine as embryo donation.
Patients using IVF may produce more embryos than they require. Extra embryos can be used to advance reproductive medicine, cryopreserved for future use, or donated to couples who want to have children.
Like any other human tissue, embryos must meet rigorous US Food and Drug Administration eligibility standards, including being tested for particular infectious diseases, before being given.
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