Embryos that have been frozen and stored away to be used later are called “snow babies”. The embryo that has been stored in this manner for the longest period of time is now known to the world as baby Emma, the daughter of Tina and Benjamin Gibson.
Emma has frozen 24 years ago, in 1992 and is only a year younger than the woman who is now her mom. Prior to her birth, the “snow baby” that held the record had been kept in storage for two decades. Her parents are happy with her birth and so are experts in the fields of science and medicine who consider this a groundbreaking achievement.
This proved to the world that people, who have issues with fertility for whatever reason, can avail these embryos to become parents. Even those suffering from cancer, who are aware that the medicines they take will cause them to become infertile can freeze an embryo till they recover from the disease.
Frozen embryos are just the beginning. Recently, scientists were able to develop lambs that were born prematurely by placing them in a bio bag with all the features of the womb. The lambs hadn’t even been developing for four months when they were kept in the bags.
But one month later, their lungs began to develop, hair started growing and subsequently, they developed enough to live outside of the bags. This discovery will go a long way in helping babies born prematurely to survive without any physical or mental defects.
Another recent success for science happened when an American woman was able to have a baby with a transplanted uterus. This opens up a pathway for women without uteruses and transgender people who wish to have children. Scientists have even been able to make infertile mice fertile by fitting them with 3D printed ovaries.
Some of these discoveries seem almost too good to be true. But they are immensely valuable for all those who wish to start a family but can’t because of medical issues. Soon, everyone will have the opportunity to beget children if they wish to.