Oldest embryo successfully delivered 25 years after freezing it in United States

A woman in the US has successfully given birth to a healthy baby from a 25-year-old embryo - the longest known frozen human embryo.

The baby, Emma Wren Gibson was delivered last month by Jeffrey Keenan, medical director of the US National Embryo Donation Center.

The embryo was originally frozen on October 14, 1992. It was thawed for implantation on March 13 this year.

"I just wanted a baby. I don't care if it's a world record or not," said Tina Gibson, mother of the baby.

Previously, the oldest known frozen embryo that came to successful birth was 20 years old.

Created for in vitro fertilisation by another, anonymous couple, the embryo had been left in storage so they could be used by someone unable or unwilling to conceive a child naturally.

Tina's husband Benjamin Gibson suffered from has cystic fibrosis, making the couple unable to conceive. They have fostered several children, according to the 'CNN'.

The couple signed up for embryo adoption, and underwent a series of medical examinations to see whether Tina's uterus would be physically capable of receiving an implanted embryo.

Only after the couple chose an embryo based on the genetic information of over 300 frozen embryos, did they find out that it had been frozen for 25 years.

"Do you realise I'm only 25? This embryo and I could have been best friends," Tina Gibson said.

The baby girl was born on November 25, and was declared healthy at birth.