Greek couple welcomes daughter born from 22-year-old frozen embryo
A Greek mother gave birth to a baby girl using an embryo that had been frozen for more than two decades, just months after her son died in a road accident.
A 54-year-old Greek woman gave birth in Athens to a baby girl after using an embryo that had been frozen for 22 years, a rare duration for successful IVF. The birth comes only months after the couple’s 21-year-old son died in a traffic crash. The mother, Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi, faced a government-imposed age limit of 54 for women to undergo IVF, leaving her with a narrow window to complete the procedure. > "I only had a 2½-month window," she told the Associated Press. The newborn weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces. The parents named her Georgia in memory of their late son, Giorgos, who was also conceived through IVF. Dr. Kostas Pantos, a gynecologist and head of the Hellenic Society of Reproductive Medicine, said the strict age rule should be reconsidered, noting Greece’s declining birth rate. > "The law is very strict: 54 plus one day is not allowed. Maybe it is time for it to change," Pantos said. The father, Constantinos Raptis, expressed gratitude to the medical team for helping the family move beyond their loss. > "He took us by the hand and pulled us out of our deepest darkness," he said. The couple has not ruled out seeking additional children, potentially by traveling abroad for treatment.