After Tragedy, a Greek Couple Welcomes a Daughter Born From an Embryo Frozen for 22 Years
The couple rushed treatment before Greece’s 54-year age limit for IVF approval, after their 21-year-old son died in October.
- On Wednesday, 54-year-old Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi gave birth to a daughter named Georgia in Athens, Greece, using an embryo frozen for more than 22 years.
- Following the death of their son, Giorgos, in an October road crash, the couple decided to pursue another pregnancy to 'give life a second chance' and keep their family's story going.
- Rapti-Tzelepi was racing against the Greek government's 54-year age limit for IVF procedures when she started the process; time was extremely short to meet the deadline.
- Dr. Kostas Pantos, head of the Hellenic Society of Reproductive Medicine and a native of Melbourne, Australia, argued that Greece's age restrictions warrant review, citing the country's steep birth rate decline.
- The couple hasn't ruled out trying for another child, with Raptis expressing deep gratitude: 'He took us by the hand and pulled us out of our deepest darkness.
47 Articles
47 Articles
After tragedy, a Greek couple welcomes a daughter born from an embryo frozen for 22 years
Out of their darkest moment, a Greek couple managed to make a new start with a baby born this week, using a 22-year-old embryo and racing against a government deadline.
For 22 years a fertilized egg cell remained frozen. Now a Greek woman gave birth to a girl. Why the couple only decided to take the procedure now.
Greek Woman, 54, Gives Birth Using Embryo Frozen For 22 Years After Losing Son In Road Crash
Embryos can remain cryopreserved for extended periods when stored under appropriate conditions, although successful births from embryos frozen for such a long time remain relatively uncommon.
Algemeen Dagblad
tubantia.nlA 54-year-old Greek woman gave birth this week to a daughter from an embryo that had been in the freezer for 22 years. The couple decided to attempt IVF after their 21-year-old son died in an accident last year. Because the legal age limit for IVF in Greece is 54, the treatment became a nerve-wracking race against time.
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