The embryo that "hibernated" for 11,148 days brought the joy of parenthood to the couple Lindsey and Tim Pierce - Illustration: FREEPIK
In July 2025, baby Thaddeus Pierce was born in Ohio from an embryo that had been frozen since 1994. This embryo had been "hibernating" for 11,148 days, equivalent to nearly 31 years, before successfully implanting in the uterus of his mother, Lindsey Pierce.
This is the first time in history that an embryo preserved for so long has developed into a healthy baby.
This is the result of a form of so-called "embryo adoption," a rare method of infertility treatment in which infertile couples use embryos donated by others.
A ray of hope that lasted three decades
Lindsey and Tim Pierce had been battling infertility for years. After being referred to a donor embryo bank, they chose to use three embryos frozen in 1994, the result of in vitro fertilization (IVF) from a woman named Linda Archerd, now 62.
"I always felt that those three little embryos deserved to live," Linda shared.
Linda underwent IVF in 1994 and created four embryos, but only used one to conceive a daughter. After her divorce, she stopped trying to conceive and spent years wondering what happened to the remaining embryos.
After decades of anxiety and concern about the rising costs of storage, Linda turned to Snowflakes, an embryo adoption program affiliated with Nightlight Christian Adoptions that allows donors to set criteria for choosing adoptive families.
“I want to be a part of this child’s life,” Linda said. “I also want to get to know the people who will be its parents.”
Donating wasn’t easy. Linda had to contact her old doctor in Oregon, dig up paperwork from the 1990s, and then transfer the embryos to Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, Tennessee, which is known for not destroying frozen embryos, even if they’re stored in outdated equipment.
Medical records and big questions
Of the three embryos Linda donated, one did not survive the thawing process. The remaining two were transferred into Lindsey's uterus, but only one successfully implanted and became baby Thaddeus.
According to Dr. John David Gordon, who treated the Pierces, this is the world's longest-frozen successful birth. He also participated in the previous record-holder: twins Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway, born from embryos frozen for 30 years.
“Stories like these capture the imagination. But they also raise important questions: Why are so many embryos sitting in banks?” Dr. John said.
In the United States, only about 2 percent of births are the result of in vitro fertilization, and only a tiny fraction use donated embryos. Yet experts estimate that as many as 1.5 million embryos are currently in storage, many of which are in a “waiting” state as biological parents undecided whether to abort, donate, or keep them.
The story was further complicated by a controversial 2024 ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos have the legal status of children. Although the state later issued a temporary injunction protecting clinics from lawsuits, the question of the embryos’ fate remains open.
Legal issues aside, for Linda Archerd, the embryo donation journey was a roller coaster of emotions, both relief that the embryos had found a home and sadness that she would not be able to raise them. She was also excited about the prospect of meeting the Pierce family and the child she had helped create.
"I just hope they send more pictures. I got a few after the baby was born. But if one day I get to meet him in person, the whole family and the baby, it would be a dream come true."
As for the Pierces, they insist that the reason they did this was very simple. "We didn't think about setting any records. We just wanted to have a child and be parents," Lindsey Pierce shared.
As the world witnesses remarkable medical advances, Thaddeus' story is a clear testament to the extraordinary potential that frozen embryos offer, not just as a matter of technology, but also as a story of life, hope and human connection.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/em-be-chao-doi-tu-phoi-thai-dong-lanh-31-nam-2025080211424601.htm
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