A 54-year-old woman in Athens gave birth on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, to a baby girl using an embryo that had been frozen for 22 years. Christina Rapti-Tzelepi underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) after her 21-year-old son, Giorgos, died in a road accident in October 2025. The birth took place at a maternity clinic in Athens, where the infant weighed 3.49 kilograms (7 pounds, 11 ounces).
The embryos used in the procedure were cryopreserved on March 17, 2004. According to the Genesis Athens Clinic, this batch of embryos had also produced the couple's late son. Rapti-Tzelepi began the IVF treatment in December 2025, operating within a two-and-a-half-month window before reaching the legal age limit for the procedure in Greece. Her husband, 60-year-old Constantinos Raptis, described the decision as an effort to continue the family's story following the loss of their first child.
The family and their gynecologist, Dr. Konstantinos Pantos, have used the occasion to call for changes to Greek legislation. Under current law, 54 is the maximum age allowed for a woman to undergo IVF. Dr. Pantos, who also serves as Secretary General of the Greek Society of Reproductive Medicine, stated that the limit should be reviewed in light of the country’s declining birth rate. The couple indicated they have nine remaining frozen embryos but are currently barred by law from further attempts in Greece due to Rapti-Tzelepi's age.
For families in Greece utilizing assisted reproductive technology (ART) near the national age cutoff, the law prohibits women from undergoing IVF once they reach 54 years and one day. The Rapti-Tzelepi family used their own cryopreserved embryos 22 years after the initial procedure. The success adds to medical data on long-term storage, following a 2025 record in Ohio where a child was born from an embryo frozen for 31 years.
While medical professionals like Dr. Pantos argue for flexibility, the Greek government has not signaled a formal review of the 54-year limit. For now, the Raptis family remains legally ineligible for further procedures in Greece, and the next steps for their nine remaining embryos depend on either a change in law or the family's decision to pursue the procedure in other jurisdictions.