Parents welcome 'oldest' twins in the world born from frozen embryos
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We here at the SDC are always in awe of the wonderful things that modern technology can do for us – and this story is no exception.
In what is being called a world record, a set of twins were recently born from embryos that had been frozen for an incredible 30 years.
Parents Philip and Rachel Ridgeway described their twins as their 'oldest children’ (despite having four older kids). They were born last October 31st.
The embryos which led to the birth of their twins, Lydia and Timothy, were frozen in 1992. That was the year Bill Clinton ran for US Presidency, and Vanessa Williams’ Save the Best for Last topped the Billboard 100 charts.
The embryos were frozen for an anonymous couple in April 1992 who were undergoing IVF and using an egg donor.
They were stored in liquid nitrogen at 128°C and sat in liquid nitrogen in a fertility lab. In 2007, the couple donated them to the National Embryo Donation Centre in Knoxville, Tennessee, with the hope that another family could use them through a process called embryo donation.
Philip Ridgeway said they specifically chose the embryos with the earliest donor numbers. He said he and his wife weren’t looking to get the ‘longest-frozen’ embryos in the world, but that they just wanted the ones that had been waiting for the longest.
The embryos were then thawed on February 28. Five were thawed, but two of the embryos were not viable. Rachel had the other three implanted a month later but only two of the transfers were successful.
Lydia was born at 5lbs 11oz, and Timothy was 6lbs 7oz. The couple also have four other children.
‘In a sense, they’re our oldest children, even though they’re our smallest children,’ said Mr Ridgeway.
The Ridgeways’ doctor, Dr James Gordon, explained how the embryos were able to ‘survive’ being frozen for so long: ‘If you’re frozen at nearly 200 degrees below zero, the biological processes essentially slow down to almost nothing.’
He added that being frozen for a week, a month, a year or a decade ‘doesn’t really matter’.
Fertility Specialist Dr Jim Toner said: A sperm or an egg or embryo stored in liquid nitrogen never experiences time…It wakes up 30 years later and it never knew it was asleep.’
Mark Mellinger, the Marketing and Development Director at the National Embryo Donation Centre said that the twins’ birth was a new record.
‘This is a new record for the transfer of the longest-frozen embryo resulting in a birth.’
What an incredible story, wouldn’t you agree members? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
In what is being called a world record, a set of twins were recently born from embryos that had been frozen for an incredible 30 years.
Parents Philip and Rachel Ridgeway described their twins as their 'oldest children’ (despite having four older kids). They were born last October 31st.
The embryos which led to the birth of their twins, Lydia and Timothy, were frozen in 1992. That was the year Bill Clinton ran for US Presidency, and Vanessa Williams’ Save the Best for Last topped the Billboard 100 charts.
Philip and Rachel called the birth of their twins ‘mind boggling’. Credit: Pixabay in Pexels
The embryos were frozen for an anonymous couple in April 1992 who were undergoing IVF and using an egg donor.
They were stored in liquid nitrogen at 128°C and sat in liquid nitrogen in a fertility lab. In 2007, the couple donated them to the National Embryo Donation Centre in Knoxville, Tennessee, with the hope that another family could use them through a process called embryo donation.
Philip Ridgeway said they specifically chose the embryos with the earliest donor numbers. He said he and his wife weren’t looking to get the ‘longest-frozen’ embryos in the world, but that they just wanted the ones that had been waiting for the longest.
The embryos were then thawed on February 28. Five were thawed, but two of the embryos were not viable. Rachel had the other three implanted a month later but only two of the transfers were successful.
Lydia was born at 5lbs 11oz, and Timothy was 6lbs 7oz. The couple also have four other children.
The twins already have four older siblings. Credit: Polina Tankilevitch
‘In a sense, they’re our oldest children, even though they’re our smallest children,’ said Mr Ridgeway.
The Ridgeways’ doctor, Dr James Gordon, explained how the embryos were able to ‘survive’ being frozen for so long: ‘If you’re frozen at nearly 200 degrees below zero, the biological processes essentially slow down to almost nothing.’
He added that being frozen for a week, a month, a year or a decade ‘doesn’t really matter’.
Fertility Specialist Dr Jim Toner said: A sperm or an egg or embryo stored in liquid nitrogen never experiences time…It wakes up 30 years later and it never knew it was asleep.’
Mark Mellinger, the Marketing and Development Director at the National Embryo Donation Centre said that the twins’ birth was a new record.
‘This is a new record for the transfer of the longest-frozen embryo resulting in a birth.’
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