World Record: Baby Born from Embryo Frozen for 30 Years

In a historic medical milestone, Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was born on July 26, 2025, from an embryo frozen for over 30 years since 1994, setting a world record for the oldest frozen embryo to result in a live birth. Lindsey and Tim Pierce, a Christian couple from London, Ohio, “adopted” the embryo through Nightlight Christian Adoptions’ Snowflakes program, describing the event as “like something from a science fiction movie.”

The embryo was created in 1994 via in vitro fertilization (IVF) by Linda Archard, who, after six years of infertility, produced four embryos. One led to her daughter’s birth, while the others were frozen in liquid nitrogen. Now 62, Archard, unable to use the embryos after menopause, chose adoption over destruction, entrusting them to the Pierces through an open adoption process.

The Pierces, after seven years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive, underwent treatment at Rejoice Fertility Clinic in Tennessee, which navigated challenges posed by the embryo’s outdated “slow freezing” method. Of three thawed embryos, one survived transfer to Lindsey’s womb, resulting in Thaddeus’s birth. “The delivery was tough, but we’re both fine,” Lindsey told *Walla Health*. Archard, who hopes to meet Thaddeus, noted his resemblance to her daughter, saying, “They’re undeniably siblings.”

Dr. Shahar Kol of Maccabi Healthcare Services explained that such births, while remarkable, are scientifically feasible, as embryos can remain viable indefinitely at -196°C. He highlighted Israel’s regulatory challenges, with hundreds of thousands of unclaimed embryos awaiting clear guidelines.

Sources: Walla Health, Nightlight Christian Adoptions