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Greek woman, 54, gives birth to baby from embryo frozen for 22 years
nypost.com • • world
Key Points:
- A Greek couple, Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi and her husband, welcomed a baby girl using a 22-year-old frozen embryo shortly after the tragic death of their 21-year-old son in a road crash.
- Rapti-Tzelepi, 54, had to complete the in vitro fertilization procedure within a strict 2½-month window due to Greece’s government age limit of 54 for women undergoing IVF.
- The birth highlights challenges with Greece’s age restrictions on IVF, prompting calls from their doctor, Dr. Kostas Pantos, to reconsider the law amid the country’s declining birth rate.
- The couple named their daughter Georgia in memory of their late son Giorgos and expressed hope for the future, including the possibility of having more children, potentially by seeking treatment abroad.
- This case adds to rare instances of successful births from embryos frozen for over two decades, similar to a record-setting birth in Ohio from a 30-year-old frozen embryo.
