Baby Born from 31-Year-Old Embryo Sets New Record in Remarkable IVF Milestone

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An Ohio couple has welcomed a baby boy from what is believed to be the world’s oldest frozen embryo. Thaddeus Pierce was born on July 26 from an embryo frozen in 1994, making it 31 years old at the time of implantation.

Lindsey Pierce, 35, and husband Tim, 34, had struggled to conceive for nearly eight years before turning to adoption through Snowflakes, a Christian embryo adoption agency. The embryo was part of a batch created in the early 1990s by Linda Archerd and her then-husband during in vitro fertilization (IVF). One embryo led to the birth of their daughter, while the remaining three remained in storage for decades.

Following her divorce and menopause, Archerd decided to donate the embryos. “I called them my three little hopes. I always wanted another baby desperately,” she said. “I always thought it was the right thing to do.”

Due to the embryo’s age, it was listed in the agency’s Open Hearts program, designed for “hard to place” embryos. Despite the risks, the Pierces proceeded and were thrilled when the pregnancy succeeded.

Lindsey described the birth as “rough” but said both she and Thaddeus are doing well. “We didn’t go into it thinking we would break any records,” she said. “We just wanted to have a baby.”

Archerd noted the resemblance between Thaddeus and her daughter as an infant. “The first thing I noticed when Lindsey sent me his pictures is how much he looks like my daughter when she was a baby.”

The Pierces worked with Rejoice Fertility Clinic, led by Dr. John Gordon, who advocates for embryo adoption. “Every embryo deserves a chance at life,” he said. “The only embryo that cannot result in a healthy baby is the embryo not given the opportunity to be transferred into a patient.”

IVF (in vitro fertilization) involves fertilizing eggs outside the body and implanting the resulting embryo into the uterus. Women under 35 have a 40 to 45 percent success rate per IVF cycle, though the likelihood decreases significantly with age.

Before Thaddeus, the oldest known embryos to result in live births were 30 years old. Millions of unused embryos remain in storage worldwide, but this case offers hope to families still seeking children through alternative means.