The baby boy was born at the age of 18 "Ice Baby"
China's "ice baby" has broken records again! Recently, 48-year-old Ms. Feng gave birth to a baby boy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, weighing 2.88kg and with normal physical indicators. The baby was successfully conceived by "waking up" frozen embryos from 18 years ago. In all, the baby who was just a few days old and the 17-year-old sister are "peers" - they both came from the same batch of frozen embryos 18 years ago, but one was born in 2001 and the other in 2017. This is the "second ice baby" that has been frozen for the longest time in China. The mother and son are currently preparing to be discharged from the hospital.
It is understood that Zhongshan First Hospital has been freezing embryos since 1994, and not long ago, two cases of "ice babies" who have been sleeping for more than 16 years were born. With the implementation of the comprehensive two-child policy, more and more frozen embryos have been "awakened", many of which are elderly mothers. In this regard, experts in obstetrics and gynecology have reminded again and again that age is very important for fertility. After the age of 35, the number and function of eggs in women decline. The older you are, the greater the risk of various complications during pregnancy and childbirth. It is recommended that women choose the best childbearing age to get pregnant, which is good for themselves and their children.
The almost forgotten "Ice Baby"
In 1999, Ms. Feng went to Zhongshan First Hospital for "IVF". At that time, 13 embryos were cultivated. The doctor used assisted reproductive technology to perform an embryo transfer for her. Unfortunately, it was not successful. Soon after, Ms. Feng tried a second embryo transfer. Fortunately, she became pregnant and gave birth to her eldest daughter by cesarean section in 2001. She was 31 years old that year. The remaining embryos were sent back to the liquid nitrogen tank at -196 ° C for retention.
For more than a decade, Ms. Feng and her wife have not returned to the hospital to handle the storage fee. Like many "forgotten" embryos, Ms. Feng's embryos are also "waiting for flowers to bloom" in a liquid nitrogen tank.
In January 2016, the "comprehensive two-child" policy was officially implemented. But at this time, Ms. Feng's ovarian function had been completely lost, and it was not easy to have another child. Suddenly, she remembered the frozen embryos she kept more than ten years ago, and she returned to the hospital again. Unexpectedly, the embryos of that year were still healthy and alive! This made Ms. Feng and her husband very happy. In July 2016, with the help of her doctor, she used assisted reproductive technology to implant frozen embryos in her body again, and this time, she "succeeded in one go"!
After 37 weeks + of pregnancy, on March 13, Ms. Feng gave birth to a child by cesarean section again. After the baby was born, all the indicators were good. Fortunately, from pregnancy to delivery, she went very smoothly. The doctor said that this was related to her punctual obstetric examination and her own good constitution. "The mother is very optimistic and lucky." Professor Wang Zilian, director of obstetrics and gynecology at Zhongshan First Hospital, said.
Female age is the "big hurdle" for fertility
In fact, with the implementation of the "comprehensive two-child" policy, more and more elderly mothers choose to revive the "frozen embryos" of the year. Taking Zhongshan First Hospital as an example, from 2015 to the present, more and more people have "awakened" frozen embryos for the second child, and the proportion of elderly people has also increased. Professor Zhou Canquan, deputy dean of Zhongshan First Hospital and leader of obstetrics and gynecology, revealed that the number of embryos thawed by the second child in 2015 accounted for 20% of all thawed embryos, and this figure rose to 29.78% in 2016; in terms of age, the average age of the population who chose fresh cycle transfer in 2015 was 32.70 years old, and the average age in 2016 was 33.62 years old; while the average age of the population who "woke up" frozen embryos was 32.36 years old in 2015 and 33.15 years old in 2016.
Although the current level of assisted reproductive technology is getting higher and higher, the age of women is still a "big hurdle". Wang Zilian, director of the obstetrics and gynecology department of Zhongshan First Hospital, said that women over the age of 40 are not encouraged to take eggs for IVF because the risk of subsequent pregnancy process will be greatly increased. "The older the woman, the higher the proportion of abnormal embryos and abnormal fetuses, and the higher the probability of various complications during pregnancy."
Safety needs to be confirmed by more evidence
At the same time, the freezing time of embryos is also a concern for many people. For example, this 18-year-old "ice baby", after 18 years of low temperature sleep, may there be safety and health problems?
In this regard, Zhou Canquan said that at present, the state does not stipulate how many years embryos can be frozen and can no longer be used. Zhongshan First Hospital has also given birth to two babies who have been "frozen" for 16 years, and the three children are currently healthy. "But if frozen embryos are stored for a long time, will it have a negative impact on the epigenetic inheritance of the child and the subsequent development speed of the child? Now the child looks fine on the surface, but will there be more long-term effects when they grow up? Is their disease spectrum the same as that of the normal population? This is a scientific problem we are facing, and the conclusion is still inconclusive. It is worth noting."
Zhou Canquan said that the safety of frozen embryos for long-term storage cannot be determined based on several cases, and more evidence needs to be collected to confirm. After that, he said, there will be continuous follow-up. "It may take until these children give birth to their own healthy children to determine whether these hormones will affect the reproductive function, long-term diseases and long-term physical health of the next generation."
"I guess to answer this question perfectly, it may not be something my generation can solve, and it may have to wait until the next generation or even the next generation." Zhou Canquan said, but from the current perspective, the embryo of more than ten years ago can see the light of day and give birth to a healthy child, whether it is a single family or a person engaged in reproductive medicine, is something to be happy about. "I also feel that the strategy of preserving embryos for a long time in the past has value for money."
