Emma Wren British girl who remained frozen in fetal stage for more than 24 years Date of Birth: 20.11.2025 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Emma Ren

Emma Ren is a British girl who spent over 24 years frozen in the embryonic stage. She was born to Tina Gibson, who carried the embryo for 40 weeks and gave birth to her. Tina and her husband, Benjamin, had struggled with infertility due to Benjamin's cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening disease that affects the function of the respiratory organs. They decided to explore the option of embryo donation and turned to the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.

In March 2017, Tina underwent a procedure similar to IVF, where a long-frozen embryo was implanted into her uterus. The embryo, which became Emma, had been frozen since 1992 and was just a year younger than Tina. Emma was born healthy, weighing 2.95 kg and measuring 50 cm.

Tina was amazed to learn how long the donated embryo had been waiting for its chance to be born. She initially had doubts about the success of the procedure but later realized that she and Emma could have been best friends if they were the same age.

Tina and Benjamin, who met at church and got married seven years ago, had considered adoption when they learned about donated embryos from Tina's father in 2015. After months of deliberation, they decided to proceed with the embryo donation process.

The couple went to the National Embryo Donation Center, which has helped 700 women become pregnant since 2003. After an extensive selection process, Tina and Benjamin chose an embryo based on height and weight compatibility. The embryo, later known as Emma, was implanted, and Tina had a smooth pregnancy despite a short cervix.

Emma's birth was a miracle for the Gibson family, as the embryos had been frozen for 24.5 years. Carol Sommerfelt, the director of the embryology laboratory, expressed her joy in seeing embryos from the early stages of cryopreservation successfully develop.

Currently, there are between 700,000 and 1,000,000 human embryos stored in the United States. When asked if they would turn to embryo donation again in the future, Tina said she wasn't in a rush but felt confident that she would want to experience it again.

Emma has siblings among the remaining embryos, and the Gibsons are open to sharing her extraordinary birth story with her. They see Emma's birth as a true miracle and cherish the opportunity to have her in their lives.

Embryo donation centers like the National Embryo Donation Center provide options for couples who have completed their family-building journey to decide what to do with their remaining embryos. They can choose to donate them for research, let them thaw and perish, keep them frozen, or donate them to couples who are unable to have children.

The National Embryo Donation Center is a Christian organization that advocates for life and offers frozen embryos free of charge. The center has received over $3,900,000 from federal funds to support its mission. Similar to adoption agencies, the center matches suitable families with the embryos awaiting development.