KNOXVILLE (WSVN) — A Tennessee woman gave birth to a baby using an embryo that had been frozen nearly three decades ago.
Tina Gibson welcomed her daughter Molly into the world last month, however, Molly had an unusual journey getting here.
According to WVLT, Molly was born using an embryo that had originally been frozen on Oct. 14, 1992.
Molly’s birth breaks a record for the longest time an embryo had been frozen before birth. The previous record-holder was Molly’s older sister, Emma, who was born from an embryo that had been frozen for 24 years.
According to WVLT, Gibson and her husband, Ben, spent years trying to have children. However, Ben has cystic fibrosis, which can cause infertility in men. So the couple turned to embryo adoption to build their family.
“The fact that we are holding these miracles, it’s unbelievable that God would just pour his blessings on us like that. We don’t deserve it that’s for sure,” Tina said.
The birth was made possible thanks to the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville.
The NEDC says in vitro fertilization (IVF) often creates a surplus of frozen embryos since more are created than needed for a successful pregnancy. Parents who have gone through IVF can choose to have their unused embryos destroyed, or they can donate them to organizations like NEDC, who then adopt out the embryos to couples who cannot conceive children on their own.
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