Greek couple welcomes daughter born from an embryo frozen for 22 years after tragedy
Out of their darkest moment, a Greek couple managed to make a new start with a baby born this week.Doing so meant using one of Cristina Rapti‑Tzelepi’s decades-old embryos and racing to beat a government deadline.Just months after their 21‑year‑old son died in a road crash in October, Rapti‑Tzelepi, now 54, and her husband made the decision to pursue another attempt using an embryo frozen for 22 years.Rapti-Tzelepi was running up against the Greek government’s 54-year age limit for women to complete in vitro fertilization procedures and secure approval from a national authority.
When she started, time was already running short.“I only had a 2½-month window,” she said.“It was stressful, but with inner strength and our doctor and his whole team by our side, we got through every obstacle.”She gave birth on Wednesday in the Greek capital, Athens, to a girl who weighed in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces.
In a hospital room brightened with pink balloons and flowers on Friday, the new parents were overcome with emotion.“We decided to give life a second chance, to make a new start, bring new life into our home and keep our family’s story going,” Rapti-Tzelepi said, sitting on her bed in black pajamas.“My wish for her is to grow up healthy and happy, full of joy like our first child, who filled our home with laughter.”The child was born using the woman’s embryo that had been frozen more than 22 years ago, an unusually long time for a frozen fertilized egg to be used to produce a pregnancy.Last year, an Ohio couple welcomed a baby boy developed from an embryo frozen for more than 30 years through a process known as “embryo adoption,” and earned recognition from Guinness World Records.Dr.
Kostas Pantos, Rapti-Tzelepi’s gynecologist and head of the Hellenic Society of Reproductive Medicine, argued that Greece’s age restrictions warrant review, noting the country’s steep birth rate decline.“The law is very strict: 54 plus one day is not all...