American Twins Born from Embryos Frozen for 30 Years

The Child Born from the Longest Frozen Donated Embryo
Couple "Wanted the Embryo We Waited for the Longest"

Twins born from embryos frozen for 30 years. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Park] Twins were born from embryos that had been frozen for 30 years in the United States. According to CNN on the 21st (local time), twins Lydia and Timothy were born on the 31st of last month to Rachel (34) and Philip Ridgeway (35), a couple living in Portland, Oregon.

The twins were born through embryos donated by an anonymous donor. Philip, the twins' father, said, "It's really unbelievable," adding, "Although they are the youngest among our children, in a way, they are also the oldest." The Ridgeway couple already has four children.

The embryos of the twins were frozen on April 22, 1992, and CNN reported that these are believed to be the longest-frozen embryos used for a child born through donated embryos. Philip said, "We didn't try to get the oldest frozen embryos in the world," but "we just wanted the embryos that had waited the longest."

The Ridgeway couple went through a selection process at the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC), where they reviewed information about the donor's physical traits, genetic conditions, education level, occupation, and cultural preferences such as movies and music. They explained that they thought the donor's number with a lower initial digit would indicate an earlier donation date, and they tried to choose a donor with a lower number in the sequence.

Seigal Kleipstein, Chair of the Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said that donated embryos can help couples struggling with infertility.

Meanwhile, the previous record for the longest-frozen embryo birth before the Ridgeways was 27 years. Tina and Benjamin Gibson, a couple from Tennessee who had infertility issues, successfully gave birth in October 2020 after receiving a 27-year-old embryo transplant. This couple had also had their first daughter three years earlier through a 24-year-old frozen embryo.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.