Greek couple welcomes baby using embryo frozen for over 22 years

A Greek couple have made a fresh start following tragedy by welcoming a baby girl this week, using an embryo preserved for more than two decades.

Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi, now 54, and her husband Constantinos Raptis, now 60, decided to have another baby just months after their 21-year-old son, Giorgos, died in a road crash in October.

Ms Rapti-Tzelepi faced a race against time, as the Greek government has a 54-year age limit for women to secure approval from a national authority and complete IVF procedures.

Time was already running short when she started her treatment.

“I only had a two-and-a-half-month window," she said.

“It was stressful, but with inner strength and our doctor and his whole team by our side, we got through every obstacle.”

She gave birth on Wednesday to a daughter weighing 3.49 kilograms (7 pounds, 11 ounces) in the Greek capital, Athens.

Inside a hospital room brightened with pink balloons and flowers on Friday, the new parents were overcome with emotion.

“We decided to give life a second chance, to make a new start, bring new life into our home and keep our family’s story going,” Ms Rapti-Tzelepi said, sitting on her bed in black pajamas.

“My wish for her is to grow up healthy and happy, full of joy like our first child, who filled our home with laughter.”

The couple have named their daughter Georgia in honor of their late son, who also conceived through IVF.

The little girl was born using Ms Rapti-Tzelepi’s embryo that had been frozen more than 22 years ago, an unusually long time for a frozen fertilised egg to be used to produce a pregnancy.

In 2025, an Ohio couple welcomed a baby boy developed from an embryo frozen for more than 30 years through a process known as “ embryo adoption”, and earned recognition from Guinness World Records.

Dr Kostas Pantos, Ms Rapti-Tzelepi's gynaecologist and head of the Hellenic Society of Reproductive Medicine, argued that Greece’s age restrictions warrant review, noting the country’s steep birth rate decline.

“The law is very strict: 54 plus one day is not allowed. Maybe it’s time for it to change,” said Dr Pantos, a native of Melbourne, Australia.

“I think it’s a right (parents) should not be deprived of.”

Mr Raptis held his new daughter as she slept on his shoulder, wrapped in a white bodysuit.

He said that he is deeply grateful to the doctor for restoring hope to his family.

“He took us by the hand and pulled us out of our deepest darkness,” Mr Raptis said.

“We escaped from that darkness, and I believe we have a lot to live for now.”

The couple have not ruled out trying for another child – possibly by travelling abroad.