Newborn boy arrives from over three-decade-old frozen embryo as happy couple celebrates
In a heartwarming tale of modern parenthood, an Ohio couple, Lindsey and Tim Pierce, have recently welcomed a baby boy after a unique journey involving a donated embryo that had been frozen for 31 years.
The embryo was donated by Linda Archerd, a 62-year-old woman, to the Pierce family through Nightlight Christian Adoptions' division, Snowflakes. This organisation is known for offering open adoptions, allowing donors to set preferences for the families adopting their embryos.
The Pierce family used embryo adoption, a concept that has been around since the 1990s. Just about 2% of births in the U.S. are the result of in vitro fertilization (IVF), and it is estimated that approximately 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently stored nationwide. Many of these embryos remain in storage due to parental indecision about their disposition.
Linda Archerd initially hoped to use all four of her embryos but was disrupted in her timeline for having more children due to a divorce. Of the three donated embryos, one didn't make the thaw, and two were transferred to Lindsey Pierce's womb, but only one successfully implanted.
The embryos were shipped from Oregon to the Pierces' doctor in Tennessee. The clinic, Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, refuses to discard frozen embryos and has handled embryos stored in outdated and older containers.
Linda Archerd, after the donation, has experienced emotions ranging from relief, sadness, and anxiety about the future. She expressed a desire to meet the Pierces and the baby in person and receive updates about them. The Pierces, on the other hand, did not go into the process thinking about records; they just wanted to have a baby.
The Pierces have already sent several updates, including pictures, to Archerd after the birth. In a statement, Lindsey and Tim Pierce expressed their gratitude for the clinic's support.
Medical experts estimate that embryos can be stored frozen for several decades before resulting in a live birth, with no known biological expiry date if kept under ideal cryopreservation conditions. The longest recorded frozen embryo birth in the U.S. occurred after about 31 years of storage.
Cryopreservation, particularly vitrification at ultra-low temperatures, halts cellular activity, thus preventing any degradation or ageing of the embryo over time. Successful births have been reported from embryos frozen for 30 years or more, demonstrating that long-term storage does not necessarily diminish viability as long as storage conditions remain stable and protocols are followed.
In the U.S., unlike India where embryo storage is typically limited to 10 years requiring renewed consent thereafter, U.S. policy is less strictly defined federally, allowing embryos to be stored indefinitely as long as the fertility clinic maintains the storage. However, individual clinics or states may have varying policies or recommendations related to storage duration and management.
In 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court made a decision that classified frozen embryos as having the legal status of children. This story has corrected the first name of Lindsey Pierce in the second paragraph.
Dr. John David Gordon, who assisted in the transfer, stated that the birth of the Pierce's baby from an embryo frozen for 31 years marks the longest-frozen embryo to result in a live birth. The birth is believed to be the longest storage time before a birth for a frozen embryo.
- The science of cryopreservation plays a significant role in modern family planning.
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