North Carolina Baby Born From 21-Year-Old Sperm
Friday, April 10, 2009
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina couple welcomed a baby last month that was born from her father's 21-year-old sperm.
Fertility specialists from Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte (REACH) announced Thursday the birth of a baby girl conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) using sperm frozen for 21 years.
The baby's father, Chris Biblis, 38, of Charlotte, was treated for leukemia between the ages of 13 and 18. In 1987, when he was 16, Biblis family encouraged him to freeze his sperm, in spite of the fact that advancements in treating male infertility did not yet exist.
Scientists first injected a sperm cell into a human egg in a lab setting in 1992.
Biblis, who has been cancer-free for 20 years, sought fertility treatments at REACH with his wife Melodie, 33, in 2008. Baby Stella Biblis was born in excellent health March 4.
"They achieved pregnancy on their first cycle of intracytoplasmic sperm injection used in conjunction with IVF, a now-routine procedure for male infertility, using her eggs and his frozen sperm," REACH founder and fertility specialist Dr. Richard L. Wing said in a news release.
Click here to visit REACH online.
