Tennessee woman gives birth to baby who was frozen as embryo for 24 years

Baby Emma Wren was born in November after being frozen in an embryo for 24 years. (Benjamin and Tina Gibson )

A Tennessee woman gave birth to a baby who had been frozen as an embryo for more than 24 years — the longest known frozen human embryo to come to birth.

The National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) announced Tuesday that Emma Wren was born on Nov. 25 to Tina Gibson, who is 26.

This means Gibson carried an embryo that was conceived about 18 months after she herself was born, a press release stated. 

Baby Emma was cryopreserved in 1992 and placed in Tina’s uterus through “frozen embryo transfer” earlier this year.

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“Emma is such a sweet miracle,” Benjamin Gibson, Tina’s husband, said. “I think she looks pretty perfect to have been frozen all those years ago.”

Dr. Jeffrey Kennan, NEDC's director, said he hoped Emma’s story inspires others to donate their embryos to families in need.

Nearly 700 pregnancies have been possible thanks to the center’s adoption program, according to NEDC, which has received donated embryos from all over the U.S.

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“It is deeply moving and highly rewarding to see that embryos frozen 24.5 years ago using the old, early cryopreservation techniques of slow freezing on day one of development at the pronuclear stage can result in 100 percent survival of the embryos with a 100 percent continued proper development to the Day-3 embryo stage,” said NEDC Lab Director, Carol Sommerfelt.

Emma weighed 6 lbs., 8oz. and was about 20 inches long at birth, WND reported.