[ad_1]
Tina and Ben Gibson spent years praying for a baby, but infertility got in the way.
Now the couple has two babies thanks to groundbreaking medical science.
The Gibson’s newest child was born on October 26, thanks to the adoption of an embryo that has placed little Molly Everette Gibson in the world record books.
123RF
Tina and Ben Gibson spent years praying for a baby, but infertility got in the way. Now, the couple has two babies thanks to groundbreaking medical science. (File photo)
Molly breaks the record of her older sister, Emma Wren Gibson, who was born in 2017 after a similar process of transferring a donated 24-year-old thawed embryo for Tina to carry.
Molly’s embryo dates back to 1992. It was frozen for 27 years, setting the new known record for the longest frozen embryo ever born, according to the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) and University research staff. from Tennessee Preston. Medical library.
READ MORE:
* Frozen embryo as good as fresh when it comes to IVF success, study shows
* Woman gives birth to a record baby who was frozen as an embryo for 24 years
* White couple share the story of becoming parents of five non-white children
* Australian mom adopts her frozen embryos to other people struggling to conceive
“For a long time it was something we never thought we would have,” said Tina Gibson, who has also shared her journey and written about infertility awareness on the NEDC website. “Now that we have it … we are soaking up every moment.”
Molly and Emma are genetic siblings. Both embryos were donated and frozen together in 1992, about a year after Tina Gibson’s birth.
The Gibsons became parents 24 and 27 years later, through a process called embryo adoption.
In embryo adoption, families undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) or laboratory conception donate additional embryos for couples who cannot conceive. The embryos are frozen until they are transferred to the other partner, who gives birth to a child who is not biologically related to them.
Depending on the donor and recipient, future contact between families varies.
“Embryo donation is when embryos that do not belong genetically to a woman are transferred into her uterus,” explained NEDC President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jeffrey Keenan, who transferred Molly’s embryo to Tina’s uterus in February. .
“Legally, this is not an ‘adoption’ as it is [with] a newborn, but there are many good reasons to use that terminology. “
123rf
In embryo adoption, donated embryos are frozen until they are transferred to a partner who is unable to conceive. Then the couple will give birth to a child who is not biologically related to them. (File photo)
According to Keenan, there are embryos that are even older than 27 years today, but nothing older than Molly’s age has yet been transferred.
“All we can say for sure is 27 years old, but we’re pretty sure they can be frozen much, much longer,” he said, adding that the average age of embryos transferred at NEDC is 10 to 12 years.
“We sure would like to see that milestone 30,” he continued. “But there are many things that come into play, not just ‘Do we have embryos that were frozen 30 years ago?’ but ‘Do we have a good set of recipients for them? And will that couple choose those embryos? And then of course, ‘Will they survive the thaw? Will they implant, grow, and then be born? ‘”
Founded in 2003, NEDC has facilitated more than 1,000 births through embryo adoption, with embryos sourced from clinics across the country. Keenan says most couples travel to his Knoxville, Tennessee facility from afar, some internationally, but the Gibsons are local.
“NEDC was basically in our backyard, and they were one of the best in the country,” Tina Gibson said. “They are wonderful people. I think they feel more like family now. “
She is excited to share family history with Molly and Emma as they grow older.
“Embryo adoption has changed our lives,” he said, encouraging interested couples to investigate whether it was right for them.
“Emma surely knows the word ’embryo.’ The ‘adoption of embryos’ is a common term in our home, it is nothing abnormal … [Our daughters] you will definitely know their story. “
– USA Today
