US mum gives birth to a baby who was frozen as an embryo for more than 24 years.

It is the longest known frozen human embryo to be born.

The US National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) announced on Tuesday that Emma Wren was born on November 25 to Tina Gibson, 26, from Tennessee.

This means Gibson carried an embryo that was conceived about 18 months after she herself was born, a press release stated.

Baby Emma was cryopreserved in 1992 and placed in Tina’s uterus through “frozen embryo transfer” earlier this year.

Emma’s parents, Tina and Benjamin Gibson of eastern Tennessee, admit feeling surprised when they were told the exact age of the embryo thawed in March 13 by Carol Sommerfelt, embryology lab director at the National Embryo Donation Center.

“Do you realize I’m only 25? This embryo and I could have been best friends,” Tina Gibson said.

Tina explained to CNN, “I just wanted a baby. I don’t care if it’s a world record or not.”

“My husband has cystic fibrosis, so infertility is common,” Tina said, adding that they had found peace with it. “We had decided that we were more than likely going to adopt, and we were fine with that.” Tina’s father suggested embryo adoption.  She looked into it and they began the process a few months later.

“Emma is such a sweet miracle,” Benjamin Gibson, Tina’s husband, said.

“I think she looks pretty perfect to have been frozen all those years ago.”

Dr Jeffrey Kennan, NEDC’s director, said he hoped Emma’s story inspires others to donate their embryos to families in need.

“It is deeply moving and highly rewarding to see that embryos frozen 24.5 years ago using the old, early cryopreservation techniques of slow freezing on day one of development at the pronuclear stage can result in 100 per cent survival of the embryos with a 100 per cent continued proper development to the Day-3 embryo stage,” said NEDC laboratory director, Carol Sommerfelt.

Read more of their story here. 

What an amazing story! This offers so much hope to many couples.

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