Frozen for 27 Years: Molly's Extraordinary Embryo Story

When Tina and Ben Gibson began exploring ways to grow their family, they had already spent several years experiencing infertility.

Eventually, they learned about donated embryos—embryos created during another family's fertility treatment that had later been donated.

In 2017, Tina underwent an embryo transfer.

The embryo had originally been frozen in 1992, more than 24 years earlier.

The transfer resulted in the birth of their first daughter, Emma Wren Gibson, who at the time was reported to have set a record for the longest-known period an embryo had remained frozen before resulting in a live birth.

But their family's unusual fertility story wasn't finished.

When Tina and Ben decided to try for another child, they returned for another embryo transfer.

The embryos available were particularly special: they had been frozen at the same time as Emma's embryo and came from the same donors, meaning any resulting children would be Emma's full genetic siblings.

In February 2020, two embryos were thawed and transferred. One resulted in a pregnancy.

On 26 October 2020, Tina gave birth to Molly Everette Gibson.

Molly's embryo had originally been frozen on 14 October 1992.

That meant it had remained cryopreserved for more than 27 years before Molly was born. At the time, researchers reported it as the longest-known period a frozen embryo had undergone before resulting in a live birth—surpassing the record previously associated with her sister Emma. Good Morning America

There was another extraordinary detail.

Tina herself was born in 1991.

That meant the embryo that eventually became her daughter Molly had been created and frozen when Tina was still a toddler.

Today, Molly and Emma are sisters being raised by Tina and Ben, but genetically they came from the same donor couple whose embryos had been created decades earlier. The Washington Post

Their story became an extraordinary example of how embryo cryopreservation can separate the time an embryo is created from the time a pregnancy actually begins.

And perhaps the most remarkable part is this:

Two sisters were created as embryos at the same time in 1992—but were born three years apart, more than two decades later.

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PLEASE NOTE

Every fertility story is different.

This story has been curated from publicly reported information and reflects one family's individual experience. It is shared for education and awareness and should not be interpreted as medical advice or as an indication of what another person's fertility journey will look like.

Reference

The Washington Post (2020).Meet Molly, the baby who came from an embryo frozen when her mom was a year old.United States.