In what experts believe is now a new record, a set of twins from Oregon State in the United States were born from embryos that were frozen on April 22, 1992.
Yes, you read it right, three decades ago, accodring yo American news broadcaster TODAY.
The twins are the result of an anonymous embryo donation by a married couple 30 years ago, which sets a new record for the oldest embryos resulting in successful live births.
The live birth rate per transfer for frozen embryos is 49 percent, as noted in 2016 national data, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Born on 31 October, pigeon pair Lydia and Timothy were born to proud parents Philip and Rachel Ridgeway.
“We really wanted to find those embryos that have been waiting the longest, that have been overlooked multiple times,” Rachel Ridgeway told TODAY in an interview.
To give you some context, Philip Ridgeway said he was 5 years old when the embryos were ‘given life.
A few quick facts
A 2009 study found that vitrification provides “a higher survival rate of human embryos and minimal deleterious effects on post-warming embryo morphology.” That can improve clinical outcomes.
According to fertility experts, there are two cryopreservation techniques typically used to freeze embryos. They’re called slow freeze and vitrification.
According to Healthline.com, the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF) sometimes results in extra embryos, which are eggs that have been fertilized by sperm.
Doctors say there are a number of things you can do with the extra embryos. One of them is embryo donation, usually done anonymously.
“Once an embryo is frozen, it stays at the same level of development forever,” Dr. Sigal Klipstein, FACOG, chair of the ethics committee for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and director of the egg donor program at InVia Fertility in Chicago, told Healthline.
What is embryo freezing?
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, freezing embryos is a technique that can also help preserve future fertility.
The chance of pregnancy from embryo transfer is largely dependent on the age of the woman when embryos are created, say fertility experts.
Procedures using eggs harvested from people aged 35 or younger have the highest chance of resulting in a pregnancy, according to John Hopkins Medicine.
Over 95% of frozen embryos survive the thawing process, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Some who choose this procedure are undergoing hormone therapy, cancer treatment, gender affirmation surgery or another medical intervention that affects their fertility.
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