A baby was born from an embryo frozen in 1994 using the IVF method.
Thaddeus Daniel Pierce, born in Ohio, U.S., became the “oldest baby born from an embryo” known to date. Born on July 26, Thaddeus made medical history by being born from an embryo frozen in 1994, setting a remarkable record.
According to the report in Daily Mail, Lindsey and Tim Pierce adopted the embryo that had been frozen for about 30 years last year. At that time, one of the couple’s children had not even started elementary school yet. Lindsey Pierce stated that they did not have any goal of breaking a record during the adoption process, saying, “We just wanted to have a baby.”
The historic embryo was one of four created by Linda Archerd and her then-husband in the 1990s through IVF treatment to have a child. One of these embryos gave life to a daughter who was born 30 years ago and is now a mother herself. The remaining three embryos were kept in long-term storage.
It is estimated that millions of embryos are frozen worldwide for use in IVF treatments. However, some of these embryos are classified as “difficult to implant” due to health conditions, age, or other factors. Thaddeus’s embryo was included in this category.
The Pierce couple, who had been unable to have children for seven years, registered for this special program and placed their hopes in embryo adoption. Lindsey Pierce said, “We went through a difficult birth process, but now both of us are fine. We are very happy to have this precious baby.”
Since Louise Brown, the first IVF baby born in 1978, millions of children have been born using this method. However, Thaddeus’s birth has once again highlighted the limits of these techniques and advances in medicine.
Linda Archerd summed up her feelings by saying: “It was a surreal experience. It’s hard to believe.”
