'SHE'S OUR SNOW BABY'
World first as baby is born from an embryo frozen 25 YEARS ago – and her mum is only 26
A BABY girl has been born from an embryo frozen 25 YEARS ago, in a world first in the US.
Tina Gibson, who is 26 - just one year older than her daughter's embryo - delivered her healthy baby on November 25 from an embryo originally frozen on October 14, 1992.
7
Little Emma Wren Gibson weighed 6lbs 8oz and measured 20 inches long when she was born.
Her parents, Tina and Benjamin Gibson, said their daughter's record status was their last priority, focusing only on her health, adding they feel "thankful and blessed" to have her.
But they admit they were surprised when they were told the exact age of the embryo, thawed on March 13 at the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC).
"Do you realise I'm only 25? This embryo and I could have been best friends," Tina told
7
7
Tina, now 26, said she just wanted a baby and didn't care if it was going to be a world record or not.
"We're just so thankful and blessed. She's a precious Christmas gift from the Lord."
Baby Emma was created for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for another couple but had been left in storage to give someone else who had no chance to conceive a child.
Embryos like this are called "snow babies" - potential human lives left on ice waiting to be born.
7
7
Seven years ago Tina and Benjamin got married knowing they would not be able to have biological children as Benjamin has cystic fibrosis.
Tina told of how the couple had accepted they were more than likely going to adopt and had fostered several children before having the embryo implanted.
BABY BOOM How does IVF work, how much does it cost and what’s the success rate for the fertility treatment? All you need to know
But it was Tina's dad who told them about the possibility of conceiving a snow baby.
During a break between foster children Tina and Benjamin were taking a week-long vacation when her dad said he had seen something on the news about embryo adoption - meaning they would implant an embryo into Tina.
"I was like, 'well, that's nice, dad, but we're not interested," Tina said.
7
"We're knee-deep in foster care right now."
But during the trip, Tina kept thinking about the possibility, and the couple decided to give it a go.
In August last year they submitted an application to the NEDC and by December she was on medication to prepare her for the implantation.
The family had a social worker come out to assess their home situation and approved them for the adoption.
Finally, in March, they were ready for the embryo to be implanted.
They chose their own embyro by looking through 300 donor profiles.
7
To make sure their baby matched them as best as possible, they started by looking for donors based on their weight and height because Tina and Benjamin are physically small themselves.
It was only when their chosen embryo was about to be implanted that they were told it was thought to be a world record.
Although it is hard for doctors to be sure as identifying the oldest-known embryo isn't possible as nobody has the records.
However, there has been a study on a 20-year-old embryo that has been successfully born.
Tina had three embryos implanted from the same donor, a normal process in IVF as there is only a 25 to 30 per cent chance it will implant.
GIVING FAMILIES THE CHANCE TO HAVE A BABY
Embryo adoption is the adoption of a frozen embryo, instead of a baby once it is born.
The embryo is selected by the person wishing to adopt it and implanted into a womb using the same technique as IVF.
Couple have to go through the same process as all couples adopting a newborn baby.
Their family life and ability to support the baby will be assessed before they are approved for adoption.
Embryo adoption gives people the opportunity to experience pregnancy and childbirth - something that doesn't always happen with adoption.
How is it implanted?
The embryos are prepared for in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
There are six main stages of IVF:
- Firstly the menstrual cycle will be suppressed with medication
- You will be given further medication to encourage your ovaries to produce more eggs
- Ultrasound scans will be given to check the development of your eggs and medication can be used to help the maturing process
- The eggs will be collected by a needle inserted into the ovaries via the vagina
- Eggs are mixed with sperm for a few days so they can be fertilised
- One or two of the fertilised embryos will be placed back into the womb. Women need to wait two weeks before taking a pregnancy test to see if the process has been successful.
What is the success rate of IVF?
The success rate can depend on a number of factors, including the age of the woman and the cause of their infertility (if it has been determined).
The younger the woman, the more likely it is that IVF will be successful, and factors such as avoiding alcohol, caffeine and smoking can improve your chances too.
In 2010, the percentage of women who had IVF and later had a live birth were:
- 32.2 per cent for women under 35
- 27.7 per cent for women aged 35-37
- 20.8 per cent for women aged 38-39
- 13.6 per cent for women aged 40-42
- 5 per cent for women aged 43-44
- 1.9 per cent for women aged over 44
One of them implanted first time and Tina went into labour just after Thanksgiving.
But her odds of success were not as straight forward as they ended up being.
Dr. Jason Barritt, lab director and research scientist at the Southern California Reproductive Center, who was not involved in the Gibson's case, said that there are only additional embryos that can be frozen for adoption about 15 to 20 per cent of the time due to the high success rates of IVF.
Any many couples may chose to have their embryos disposed of or donate them to research for the advancement of reproductive medicine instead of having them frozen.
"Usually, couples have leftover embryos because they have completed their families and no longer need additional embryos," he said.
MORE ON IVF
But the NEDC is a faith-based organisation that allows couples to donate their embryos for free.
Mark Mellinger, development director for the centre, said: "We say that our reason for existence is to protect the sanctity and dignity of the human embryo.
"We will contact the fertility clinic where the embryos are stored, and they are happy to work with us."
Couples then pay about £10,000 to adopt an embryo.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368
Topics