Baby born from 30-year-old frozen embryo in Ohio

A baby was born last week in Ohio from an embryo that was frozen for over 30 years, making it the oldest known embryo to result in a successful birth.

Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was born on July 26 in London, Ohio, to Lindsey and Tim Pierce, aged 34 and 35. The embryo from which he was conceived had been cryogenically frozen since May 1994.

“We had a rough birth but we are both doing well now,” said Lindsey to MIT Technology Review. “He is so chill. We are in awe that we have this precious baby!”

“The baby has a 30-year-old sister,” she added, referring to the sibling born from the same batch of embryos three decades ago. At the time the embryos were created, Tim Pierce was just a toddler. 

“We thought it was wild,” Lindsey said. “We didn’t know they froze embryos that long ago.”

She continued, “We didn’t go into it thinking we would break any records. We just wanted to have a baby.”

The embryo was originally created by Linda Archerd, 62, who donated it after decades of storage. Archerd and her husband froze four embryos in the early 1990s following difficulties conceiving naturally. One was successfully implanted, and she gave birth to a daughter in 1994. The other three remained frozen, and Archerd paid an annual storage cost of $1,000.

“I always wanted another baby desperately,” Archerd recalled. “I called them my three little hopes.” After divorcing her husband and the onset of menopause, Archerd decided to donate the remaining embryos through an “embryo adoption” program run by Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which allows donors to meet recipient families. She said she is excited to meet Thaddeus.

“The first thing that I noticed when Lindsey sent me his pictures is how much he looks like my daughter when she was a baby,” Archerd said. “I pulled out my baby book and compared them side by side and there is no doubt that they are siblings.”