200 degrees below zero, in a straw, surrounded by liquid nitrogen. And this for almost three decades. The embryos were frozen on April 22, 1992 by an anonymous couple, writes Cnn.
The couple did not use the embryos and donated them to the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville, hoping another couple could use them.
Already four children
So the embryos ultimately ended up with Rachel and Philip. The couple already have four children aged 8, 6, 3 and almost 2 years old. All those babies were conceived naturally.
Rachel and Philip are strict believers and see building their family as “a calling.” Philip told CNN, “We always thought we were going to have as many children as God wants us to have. When we heard about embryo adoption, we wanted to do it.”
“Embryo Adoption”
That formulation, the adoption of embryos, is delicate in America. The term is mainly used in religious communities with conservative leanings.
The National Embryo Donation Center is also a Christian organization. Parents wishing to receive an embryo must pass a “family assessment”. Only a couple consisting of a “genetic male” and a “genetic female” who have been married for at least three years is eligible.
“We wanted the longest waiting embryos,” Philip says. And Rachel calls it a matter of “God’s plans.”
Healthy in the world
Though they had been in the ice for thirty years, the twins were born beautifully healthy. According to mother Rachel, they were “big kids”.
It’s certainly special, but Lydia and Timothy aren’t completely unique. Previously, Molly and Emma were born in America, which were frozen as embryos for 27 and 24 years.
