Woman gives birth from embryo frozen for more than 22 years

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A Greek woman has given birth from an embryo frozen over 22 years ago after losing her son born from the same treatment, her doctor said Wednesday.

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“For Christina Rapti‑Tzelepi, today’s birth carries special emotional significance,” gynaecologist Konstantinos Pantos said in a Facebook post.

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“In 2004, after an embryo transfer, she had a healthy baby boy on the first attempt. In October 2025, the family experienced the tragic loss of their son in a road traffic accident at the age of 21,” Pantos said.

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Rapti-Tzelepi is 54, the maximum allowed age in Greece for in vitro fertilisation.

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She gave birth to a baby girl on Wednesday following the transfer in December of an embryo from the same initial batch, Pantos said.

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“There was mourning and joy involved, but everything disappeared this morning when we held our beauty in our arms,” Rapti-Tzelepi told state TV ERT.

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Rapti-Tzelepi’s husband Konstantinos Raptis said the family were in a “race against time” to see the pregnancy through.

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“My wife reached, quite literally, the very limits of the age restrictions imposed by the existing legislation,” Raptis said in a statement.

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He called for the national IVF age limit to be lifted.

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“Older women have an immeasurable capacity to offer mature, conscious and unconditional love, as well as a stability that no statistic can ever fully measure,” Raptis said.

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