Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway are the twins who came into the world on October 31, 2022. Over 30 years have passed, after being frozen as embryos.
The birth of twins Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway on October 31, 2022 marks an epochal turning point. These are the embryos frozen for the longest time that then gave birth to a live birth . They have been frozen as embryos for over 30 years. The two embryos were used for an anonymous married couple using in vitro fertilization (IVF). Then stored at -196°C (-323°F) in liquid nitrogen on April 22, 1992. IVF produces more embryos than needed.
The IVF process can produce more embryos than needed, which can then be donated to science or to couples who want children. The twins’ embryos were donated to the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) in Knoxville, Tennessee. Before passing decades later to parents Rachel and Philip Ridgeway of Portland, Oregon. There was a previous record for the oldest child with Molly Everette Gibson, who was born on Oct. 26, 2020 from a 28-year-old frozen embryo.
Sometimes it is possible that an older frozen embryo has been used without recording its age . The survival rate after thawing is about 80% and only a fraction of the transferred embryos then evolve into live births. For the embryos to be healthy, the age of the donor and the recipient of embryos are essential for the success of the process. After such a long wait, life begins for Lydia and Timothy, the largest twins ever born to date.
- These Record-Breaking Twins Are The ‘Oldest’ Babies Ever Born (sciencealert.com)
