Latest news with #Archerd
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'World's Oldest Baby' Born From 30-Year-Old Frozen Embryo
An adopted embryo that was frozen for 30 and a half years has given rise to what some claim is the 'oldest baby' in the world. According to an exclusive scoop from MIT Technology Review's Jessica Hamzelou, the newborn baby boy was conceived in the United States in May 1994 to one set of parents and born on 26 July 2025 to another set of parents. For decades, the embryo remained frozen in time, both young and old all at once. Related: The biological mother, Linda Archerd, and her then-husband froze the embryo while undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the 1990s. After having a baby girl, the couple was left with three embryos in the bank. Decades later, Archerd decided it was time to donate them. Lindsey and Tim Pierce are the happy recipients of her generosity. "We didn't go into it thinking we would break any records," Lindsey told Hamzelou at MIT Tech Review. "We just wanted to have a baby." Previously, the longest-frozen embryos to result in the birth of a child were cryopreserved in the US for just over 30 years. The double embryo transfer resulted in twins in 2022. The latest record-breaking adoption was completed by a fertility clinic in Tennessee, run by reproductive endocrinologist John Gordon, who believes every embryo has a chance at life because of his religion. US fertility clinics like his are pushing the limits of IVF technology, even if the frozen embryos they transfer wouldn't be accepted elsewhere in the world. In Australia, for instance, embryos can only be frozen for up to five years, while in the United Kingdom they can be stored for up to 55 years. In the US, however, embryos can be frozen indefinitely. What's more, many go unclaimed, which raises ethical concerns, and which legally means they cannot be donated for reproductive use or research. By some estimates, there are currently as many as 1.5 million embryos frozen in the US. "These are formidable numbers that keep growing every year with currently no clear ethical or legal means to reach a practical solution," computational biochemist Shina Caroline Lynn Kamerlin wrote in a paper from 2024. In recent years, clinics have been thawing and transferring older and older frozen embryos for 'adoption'. The result is that some of the newborn children have siblings who are decades older than them. The Pierce family's son, for instance, was conceived at around the same time as Archerd's daughter in the 1990s, meaning his sister is around 30 years older than him. The Pierce family adopted the embryo from Archerd through the Snowflakes program, which is run by the Nightlight Christian Adoptions agency. Beth Button, executive director of the program, told Hamzelou at MIT Tech Review that she thinks "over 90 percent of clinics in the US would not have accepted these embryos." IVF technologies have changed a lot over the years, and older embryos are stored in ways that can be trickier to thaw using modern methods. There are also concerns over viability. In 2022, a large retrospective study in China found that prolonged storage time can negatively affect the survival rate of embryos, although it did not seem to have a significant influence on neonatal health. Still, the research is mixed. Other studies have found that the length of cryopreservation does not influence embryo survival after thawing. Most studies on the topic are based on embryos that have been frozen for much less than 30 years. Fertility clinics in the US are putting this life-giving technology to the test. They have not yet found the limit. Related News This Potent Psychedelic Mysteriously Echoes Near-Death Experiences Mysterious 2,500-Year-Old 'Gift to The Gods' Finally Identified 4,000-Year-Old Handprint Discovered on Ancient Egyptian Artifact Solve the daily Crossword
Express Tribune
03-08-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
30-year-old embryo leads to birth of world's oldest newborn
A baby boy named Thaddeus Daniel Pierce, born in 2025, has made headlines as the world's oldest newborn—developed from an embryo that was frozen for 30 years. The embryo, originally created and frozen in 1994 through in vitro fertilization (IVF), was donated by Linda Archerd, who had conceived one child and preserved three remaining embryos in long-term storage. For decades, Archerd paid around $1,000 per year to keep the embryos frozen, holding on to hope that they would one day have a chance at life. Archerd, a Christian, believed it was morally necessary to give the embryos a future. Despite being rejected by most adoption agencies due to their age, she eventually connected with a surrogate family through embryo adoption. That family—Tim and Lindsey Pierce—had been trying to conceive for seven years without success. Turning to embryo adoption, Lindsey underwent a transfer of all three embryos. Two failed to develop, but one embryo survived the thawing and implantation process. That single embryo is now Thaddeus David Pierce, born healthy in 2025. Despite technically being 30 years old, Thaddeus entered the world as a newborn, marking a new milestone in reproductive medicine. The couple says their intent was not to set records, but simply to become parents. Their journey highlights how embryo preservation and adoption can offer new hope to families facing infertility. In the same year, another medical record was broken—the youngest premature baby to survive birth over four months early, now thriving. Thaddeus's story showcases both the power of medical innovation and the emotional strength of families who never give up on hope.
Time of India
02-08-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Ohio couple welcomes baby born from embryo frozen 31 years ago
An Ohio couple has given birth to a baby boy developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years, which their doctor believes may be the longest-known storage time before a successful birth. Lindsey and Tim Pierce, who struggled with infertility for years, turned to embryo adoption in hopes of starting a family. As per CNN, they welcomed a son born from an embryo that had been frozen for 11,148 days. According to Dr. John Gordon of Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, Tennessee, who oversaw the procedure, that storage time appears to set a new record. What is embryo adoption? Embryo adoption is a process in which individuals or couples adopt donated embryos left over from another couple's in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. Unlike traditional adoption, it allows the adoptive mother to carry and give birth to a genetically unrelated child. Although the concept dates back to the 1990s, it remains relatively rare. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2% of all U.S. births are the result of IVF, and only a small portion of those involve donated embryos. Medical experts estimate that around 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently stored across the country, many in limbo, awaiting a decision from their genetic parents. Some fertility clinics and advocacy groups, particularly Christian-based organizations, have become vocal opponents of discarding frozen embryos, citing a belief that life begins at conception. Among them is Snowflakes Embryo Adoption, a program under Nightlight Christian Adoptions that connects embryo donors and adoptive families. 'These little embryos deserved to live.' Linda Archerd, 62, is the woman who donated the embryos that led to the Pierces' baby. Speaking with The Associated Press, she said, 'I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did.' Archerd turned to IVF back in 1994. At the time, techniques for freezing, thawing, and transferring embryos were gaining traction and offering hopeful parents more chances at successful pregnancy. She ended up with four embryos but only used one after giving birth to a daughter. Following a divorce, her plans for more children shifted. As decades passed, Archerd said she wrestled with the decision of what to do with the remaining embryos. Storage fees mounted, and the emotional toll weighed heavy. Eventually, she discovered Snowflakes, which helped facilitate an open donation. 'I wanted to be a part of this baby's life,' she said. 'And I wanted to know the adopting parents.' The process wasn't easy. Archerd had to track down her original fertility doctor in Oregon and navigate paper records to prepare the embryos for donation. The embryos were then shipped to Rejoice Fertility in Tennessee — a clinic known for its refusal to discard embryos, even those stored in older and outdated containers. Delicate transfer Of the three embryos Archerd donated, one did not survive the thawing process. The remaining two were transferred into Lindsey Pierce's uterus, and one successfully implanted. Following the birth, Lindsey and Tim Pierce issued a statement through: 'We didn't go into this thinking about records — we just wanted to have a baby.' For Archerd, the outcome has been bittersweet. 'I'm hoping that they're going to send pictures,' she said. 'I'd love to meet them some day. That would be a dream come true to meet — meet them and the baby.' So far, the Pierces have sent several photos since the birth. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
NDTV
02-08-2025
- Health
- NDTV
World's 'Oldest' Baby Born From 30-Year-Old Frozen Embryo
A baby born in the US from an embryo frozen 30 years ago is believed to have broken the record for the world's 'oldest' baby. Named Thaddeus Daniel Pierce, the baby was born on July 26 from the embryo that had been cryopreserved since 1994. The baby's parents, Lindsey and Tim Pierce, who live in Ohio, had been trying to get pregnant for seven years. The breakthrough came when they "adopted" the embryo from Linda Archerd, 62, who had it stored decades ago. "We had a rough birth but we are both doing well now. He is so chill. We are in awe that we have this precious baby!" Lindsey Pierce, his mother, was quoted as saying by MIT Technology Review. It was in the early 1990s that Ms Archerd and her then-husband decided to try in vitro fertilisation (IVF) after struggling to conceive. In 1994, four embryos resulted: one was transferred to Archerd and resulted in the birth of a daughter, who is now 30 and mother to a 10-year-old. The other embryos were cryopreserved and stored. "The baby has a 30-year-old sister. It's been pretty surreal. It's hard to even believe," said Ms Archerd, who revealed that she had wanted another baby using the embryo, but her then-husband felt differently. Ms Archerd went on to divorce him, but she won custody of the embryos and kept them in storage, still hopeful she might use them one day, perhaps with another partner. AI helps couple conceive Last month, a couple trying to conceive a baby for 18 years finally managed to get pregnant thanks to the use of artificial intelligence (AI). IVF attempts were unsuccessful due to azoospermia, a rare condition in which no measurable sperm is present in the male partner's semen. Using the STAR (Sperm Tracking and Recovery) method devised by the Columbia University Fertility Center (CUFC), the couple managed to get pregnant. Researchers at the fertility centre examined the semen sample with the AI-powered system and managed to find the hidden sperm. After recovering the sperm, it was used to fertilise the wife's egg via IVF, and she became the first-ever woman to conceive using the STAR method.
Time of India
02-08-2025
- Health
- Time of India
World's oldest baby: Boy born from 1994 embryo in 2025; Ohio couple celebrates IVF milestone
A baby born in Ohio may have broken a world record, after developing from an embryo that was frozen for over 30 years before being successfully transferred. Lindsey and Tim Pierce welcomed their son last Saturday through embryo adoption, using one of a set of embryos donated back in 1994. The embryo that led to the birth had been stored for 11,148 days, a timespan that doctors say marks the longest an embryo has been frozen before resulting in a live birth. Embryo adoption, though still relatively uncommon, is attracting greater attention. Some fertility clinics and Christian adoption agencies support the practice as an alternative to discarding unused embryos, based on the belief that life begins at or near conception and that embryos deserve a chance to be born. 'I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did,' said Linda Archerd, 62, who originally donated the embryos to the Pierces. In the United States, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) accounts for just about 2% of all births, and an even smaller portion involve embryos donated by other families. Yet experts say about 1.5 million embryos are currently frozen in storage across the country, many left unused while families decide what to do next. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo The issue has become even more complex following a 2024 ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court, which declared that frozen embryos should be considered the legal equivalent of children. While a temporary law now protects fertility clinics from liability in the state, uncertainty continues over what the future holds for unused embryos. Archerd turned to IVF in the 1990s, a time when advances in freezing, thawing, and transferring embryos were just beginning to offer more hopeful outcomes. After giving birth to her daughter, her plans to grow her family changed following a divorce. As the years went by and storage costs continued to mount, she found herself torn over what to do with the remaining embryos. Her search eventually led her to Snowflakes, a branch of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which helps arrange embryo adoptions and gives donors the option to choose adoptive families and stay in touch with them, CNN reported. 'I wanted to be a part of this baby's life,' Archerd said. 'And I wanted to know the adopting parents.' The process wasn't easy. Archerd had to contact her original clinic in Oregon and retrieve old paper records to authorise the donation. The embryos were then carefully shipped to Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, Tennessee, a clinic known for working with long-frozen embryos and refusing to discard any, regardless of age. Of the three embryos sent to the Pierces, one didn't survive the thawing process. Two were transferred to Lindsey's womb, but only one implanted successfully. John David Gordon, who oversaw the transfer, said the successful birth from a nearly 31-year-old embryo now breaks the previous record, also set at his clinic, when twins Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from embryos frozen for 10,905 days. 'I think that these stories catch the imagination,' Gordon said. 'But I think they also provide a little bit of a cautionary tale to say: Why are these embryos sitting in storage? You know, why do we have this problem?' Lindsey and Tim Pierce weren't aiming to break records, CNN cited the couple. 'We didn't go into this thinking about records, we just wanted to have a baby,' Lindsey said in a statement. For Archerd, the experience has been emotional, a blend of happiness that her embryos finally found a home, sadness that it wasn't with her, and hope for a connection with the child she helped bring into the world. 'I'm hoping that they're going to send pictures,' she said. 'I'd love to meet them some day. That would be a dream come true to meet, meet them and the baby.'
