November 30, 2020

Baby born from 27-year-old frozen embryo breaks record

WATCH: 'Fertility warriors': How one family's IVF journey led to embryo adoption

Molly Everette Gibson may only be less than one month old, but she has already made history.

Weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces, Molly, who was born on Oct. 26 to parents Tina and Ben Gibson, spent more than 27 years frozen as an embryo before being transferred to her mother's uterus on Feb. 10.

Haleigh Crabtree Photography
Baby Molly Everette Gibson made history after being born from a 27-year-old embryo.
Haleigh Crabtree Photography
Tina (mom), Ben (dad), Emma (sister) and Molly Gibson pose for a photo.
MORE: 'Fertility warriors': How one family's IVF journey led to embryo adoption

The time the embryo spent in frozen preservation set the new known record for the longest-frozen embryo to ever come to birth, according to research staff at the University of Tennessee Preston Medical Library.

Editor's Picks

The previous record was set by her sister, Emma Wren Gibson, who was born in 2017.

Haleigh Crabtree Photography
Molly Gibson and her sister Emma pose for a photo. Both were born from frozen embryos.
MORE: Woman gives birth to daughter who spent 24 years as frozen embryo: 'She's perfect'

Emma had been frozen for more than 24 years and both she and her sister were frozen together as embryos, making them full genetic siblings.

“When Tina and Ben returned for their sibling transfer, I was thrilled that the remaining two embryos from the donor that resulted in Emma Wren’s birth survived the thaw and developed into two very good quality embryos for their transfer,” said National Embryo Donation Center lab director and embryologist Carol Sommerfelt, who thawed Molly’s embryo. “This definitely reflects on the technology used all those years ago and its ability to preserve the embryos for future use under an indefinite time frame.”

Courtesy Gibson family
Molly Gibson.
MORE: Triplets from 'embryo adventure' turn 6 months old