Twins Born From Embryos Frozen 30 Years Ago In The US

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An American family is celebrating the birth of twins resulting from embryos frozen 30 years ago. Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway are the first twins born from long-frozen embryos to live, according to the National Embryo Donation Center.

On 22 April 1992, an anonymous married couple donated embryos obtained through in vitro fertilization and now, they are part of a family in 2022.

Previous record holder Molly Gibson was born in 2020 from embryos that had been frozen for nearly 27 years. Molly took the record from her sister Emma, who was born from embryos that had been frozen for 24 years, according to CNN.

"They've been a joy to have to us and to their siblings," dad Philip Ridgeway told of his new twins, Lydia and Timothy, who now make the Ridgeways a family of six. "In a sense, they're our oldest children, even though they're our smallest children," the dad added.

"There is something mind-boggling about it," Philip Ridgeway said as he and his wife snuggled their newborns on their laps at their home outside Portland.

"I was 5 years old when God gave life to Lydia and Timothy, and he's been preserving that life ever since," added the dad [1].

With the assistance of the National Embryo Donation Center and Dr. John Gordon, the couple's physician at Southeastern Fertility in Knoxville, the frozen embryos were thawed, transferred and then delivered.

"We wanted to be able to go in and find embryos that had been overlooked for reasons beyond their control, that have been waiting so long for a mom and a dad," Rachel Ridgeway, the twins' mom, said.

In their case, the couple was interested in embryos that everybody else had passed on.

"We just want them to always know that they were chosen, that they are loved," she added.

What Is Egg Freezing?

In basic terms, egg freezing refers to the retrieval of eggs from the ovaries of a woman and the freezing of those eggs for later use when the woman is feeling ready to conceive. These eggs are good for use and are not compromised in quality for up to 10 years after the freezing process is completed. The medical term for egg freezing is oocyte cryopreservation [2].

The cost of embryo freezing in India is approximately 150000 to 170000 rupees [3]. There are charges associated with this procedure, including those associated with IVF protocol, including the medicines and injections used for ovarian stimulation, as well as charges associated with egg retrieval and freezing.