Thursday, September 10, 2026 - A 54-year-old Greek woman has given birth to a baby girl
using an embryo frozen more than 22 years ago, following the tragic loss of her
son born from the same treatment batch.
Her gynecologist, Konstantinos Pantos, confirmed the delivery
on Wednesday.“For Christina Rapti‑Tzelepi, today’s birth carries special
emotional significance,” Pantos said in a Facebook post.
“In 2004, after an embryo transfer,
she had a healthy baby boy on the first attempt. In October 2025, the family
experienced the tragic loss of their son in a road traffic accident at the age
of 21.”
At 54, Rapti-Tzelepi reached the maximum age limit permitted
for in vitro fertilization under Greek law.
Following an embryo transfer in December using the original
batch preserved since 2004, she successfully carried the pregnancy to term.
“There was mourning and joy
involved, but everything disappeared this morning when we held our beauty in
our arms,” Rapti-Tzelepi told state television channel ERT.
Her husband, Konstantinos Raptis, noted that the family faced
significant legislative constraints during the procedure.
“My wife reached, quite literally,
the very limits of the age restrictions imposed by the existing legislation,”
Raptis said in a statement.
Advocating for the removal of the
national IVF age cap, Raptis added: “Older women have an immeasurable capacity
to offer mature, conscious and unconditional love, as well as a stability that
no statistic can ever fully measure.”
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