Woman gives birth from embryo frozen for more than 22 years

A 54-year-old Greek woman has given birth to a baby girl using an embryo frozen more than 22 years ago, following the tragic loss of her son born from the same treatment batch.
Her gynecologist, Konstantinos Pantos, confirmed the delivery on Wednesday.“For Christina Rapti‑Tzelepi, today’s birth carries special emotional significance,” Pantos said in a Facebook post.

“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.”

At 54, Rapti-Tzelepi reached the maximum age limit permitted for in vitro fertilization under Greek law.
Following an embryo transfer in December using the original batch preserved since 2004, she successfully carried the pregnancy to term.

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

Her husband, Konstantinos Raptis, noted that the family faced significant legislative constraints during the procedure.

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

Advocating for the removal of the national IVF age cap, Raptis added: “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.”