A Greek couple has welcomed a baby girl born from an embryo that had remained frozen for more than 22 years.
Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi, 54, gave birth to a healthy daughter at a private clinic in Athens. The baby weighed 3.49 kilograms and was named Georgia in memory of the couple’s son, Giorgos, who died in a road collision at age 21 last October.
Cristina and her husband, Constantinos Raptis, 60, decided to pursue fertility treatment following their son’s death. The couple had limited time because Greek regulations generally require women to complete in-vitro fertilization procedures by age 54, subject to official approval.
The case is among the longer documented intervals between embryo freezing and a successful birth, although it is not considered a world record. It has also renewed discussion about fertility-treatment age limits in Greece.
