GREEK COUPLE WELCOME DAUGHTER USING EMBRYO FROZEN 22 YEARS

Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi, aged 54, gave birth to a daughter in Athens this week using an embryo preserved for more than 22 years, according to reporting on the case. The couple, who also include her husband Constantinos Raptis, aged 60, decided to pursue IVF treatment months after their 21-year-old son Giorgos died in a road crash in October. Ms Rapti-Tzelepi faced a deadline imposed by Greek law: the government sets a 54-year age limit for women seeking approval to complete IVF procedures. She completed treatment with a window of approximately two and a half months before reaching that threshold.

The newborn daughter, named Georgia in honour of her late brother, weighed 3.49 kilograms at birth. The use of a frozen embryo preserved for such an extended period represents an unusually long timeframe; the couple's medical team at their Athens hospital supported the procedure throughout. Dr Kostas Pantos, Ms Rapti-Tzelepi's gynaecologist and head of the Hellenic Society of Reproductive Medicine, stated that Greece's age restrictions merit reconsideration given the country's declining birth rate. Dr Pantos remarked that the current law prevents prospective parents from pursuing IVF after a woman reaches 54 years and one day old.

The case follows a similar situation in Ohio in 2025, where a couple welcomed a baby boy from an embryo frozen for more than 30 years, earning recognition from Guinness World Records. Ms Rapti-Tzelepi told reporters she and her husband chose "to give life a second chance" and "bring new life into our home" following their son's death. She expressed hope that their daughter would grow up healthy and happy.