The 30-year-old infant: world’s “oldest” baby born from embryo frozen in 1994

A couple from London, Ohio, USA experienced “something from a Sci-Fi movie” last month when they delivered a baby that was already over 30-years-old.

Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was born to Lindsay and Tim Pierce (all USA) on 26 July, after spending at least 31 years 56 days as a frozen embryo in storage. In 2022, the Pierce family “adopted” the embryo from the woman who created it in 1994, and brought the child into the world after a series of IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatments. 

“We didn’t go into it thinking we would break any records,” said mom Lindsey, to the MIT Technology Review. “We just wanted to have a baby.”

Nevertheless, that embryo turned into a healthy infant and then a record-breaker – after Thaddeus made headlines for officially becoming the oldest human embryo used in a successful pregnancy. He took the title from the Ridgeway twins (USA) born on 31 October 2022, who spent 30 years and 192 days in storage.

“We had a rough birth but we are both doing well now,” said Lindsey. "He is so chill. We are in awe that we have this precious baby!"

Three little hopes

Nearly 30 years after Lindsey and Tim were trying for a baby, Linda Archerd and her then-husband were trying for one of their own.

After six years of attempts, they signed up for IVF – a relatively new process at the time, but one they ultimately had success with, ending up with four embryos by May 1994. One of them was transferred to Linda’s uterus, and resulted in a healthy baby girl, while the others were cryopreserved and kept in storage. 

Linda felt blessed – and the now-62-year-old watched as her daughter grew up into a woman now in her 30s, with a 10-year-old daughter of her own. 

However, “I always wanted another baby desperately,” she said. “I called them my three little hopes.”

At the time, her husband disagreed, and the pair ended up getting divorced. But Linda retained custody of the embryos, which she kept in storage for years, hopeful she could use them one day. After a while, she was spending almost a thousand dollars a year to preserve her little hopes, but menopause ultimately ended her plans.

But Linda didn’t want to get rid of the embryos, nor did she want to donate them to science or give them up to an anonymous family. Eventually, she found her solution – embryo “adoption”, which gives donors and recipients a say as to where the embryos end up.

“It’s my DNA; it came from me…” said Linda. “And [it’s] my daughter’s sibling.” 

However, it was incredibly difficult for Linda to find an organization that would take her embryos, precisely because they were so old. Problems can arise when transferring an embryo stored in a dated or unfamiliar way, and some scientists believe older embryos have a less likely chance of leading to a successful pregnancy. 

Then she discovered the Snowflakes programme run by the Nightlight Christian Adoptions agency, who offered to take in her embryos. Linda had to reach out to her old fertility doctor to find their old medical records, but she knew his number by heart – and after he agreed to her request, he sent over the decades-old data, some of which was handwritten. 

“I would say that over 90% of clinics in the US would not have accepted these embryos,” said Beth Button, executive director of the Snowflakes programme. But nevertheless, they put the embryos into their Open Hearts programme for “hard to place” cases, and soon enough they came across Thaddeus’ parents.

Lindsey and Tim had been trying for a baby for over seven years, and were on the verge of applying for adoption when they heard about the Snowflakes. 

“We checkmarked anything and everything,” said Tim, which resulted in them getting placed in the Open Hearts programme and matched with Linda’s embryos. 

“We thought it was wild,” said Lindsey. “We didn’t know they froze embryos that long ago.”

A bundle of cells, to a bundle of joy

Lindsey and Tim signed up with Rejoice Fertility, an IVF clinic dedicated to reducing the number of embryos in storage. This was the same facility the Ridgeway family used in 2022 when they gave birth to twins from embryos created 30 years prior. 

Soon after, the excited mom-to-be started IVF treatments to transfer Linda's embryos to her uterus. One of them stopped growing. Two were transferred on 14 November. And soon, one developed into a fetus – a miraculous medical achievement that resulted in their baby Thaddeus. 

“The first thing that I noticed when Lindsey sent me his pictures is how much he looks like my daughter when she was a baby,” said Linda. “I pulled out my baby book and compared them side by side, and there is no doubt that they are siblings.”

Now, baby Thaddeus is growing up with a sister almost 30 years his senior – and the eternal fun-fact that he was conceived when his parents were toddlers.

The world had many reactions to this incredible news: many jokes were made about the child “born in the wrong generation”, and the Gen-Alpha baby with a Millennial soul, though mostly people were just fascinated by this curious medical tale. 

Yet for those who care for the baby, from cells to delivery, Thaddeus’ birth was more than just a meme – it was a miracle.

“It’s been pretty surreal,” said Linda. “It’s hard to even believe.”

Header image: Close-up of in vitro fertilization process. Credit: Shutterstock