Greek woman has IVF birth from 22-year-old embryo after losing son

A Greek woman named Christina Rapti-Tzelepi has given birth to a daughter, after an embryo that was frozen over 22 years ago was implanted in her. Her doctor, Konstantinos Pantos, stated in a Facebook post that this birth holds special emotional significance for the family. In 2004, Rapti-Tzelepi had a healthy son from the same IVF treatment.

However, tragedy struck in October 2025 when her son died in a road accident at the age of 21. Rapti-Tzelepi, who is 54 years old and the maximum allowed age for IVF in Greece, gave birth to her daughter in December following an embryo transfer in December. Her husband, Konstantinos Raptis, expressed their determination to see the pregnancy through despite the challenging circumstances.

The couple has nine other frozen embryos and would like to have more children, but the current law limits them. Rapti-Tzelepi and her husband have called for the national IVF age limit to be raised. Greece's birth rate has been declining for years, but there has been an increase in births to mothers over the age of 40 over the past 20 years.