"Thanks to Professor Li's superb medical skills, at 8:38 this morning, my family was happy to have a male treasure, weighing 7.2 pounds and a height of 51 centimeters." On March 1, Professor Li Aibin of the Reproductive Medicine Center of Wuhan University People's Hospital (Hubei Provincial People's Hospital) received the news that 45-year-old Ms. Tang (surname changed) was happy to have a second child, and she was very happy for Ms. Tang.
Unusually, although this healthy second baby is 12 years younger than his brother, in terms of embryonic age, he and his brother are actually "the same age", and both are "rabbits".
The older brother hugged his younger brother, who was "all rabbits" a round apart
As early as December 2009, Ms. Tang and her husband, who had not been pregnant for 3 years after marriage, came to the Reproductive Medicine Center of Wuhan University People's Hospital to receive IVF treatment, and gave birth to a healthy and cute big fat boy in 2011, and the remaining embryos were frozen in a liquid nitrogen tank at minus 196 °C.
Watching Dabao grow up slowly, the couple wants to add joy to the family again. In May 2022, with the help of Professor Li Aibin's expert team, Ms. Tang's embryo that had been "sleeping" for 12 years was "awakened" and successfully returned to her mother's warm womb, becoming a fresh little life.
Thirteen years ago, she froze 3 embryos after IVF
In 2009, 31-year-old Ms. Tang failed to conceive for 3 years after marriage, went to many hospitals, and finally on the recommendation of others, the couple came to the Reproductive Medicine Center of Wuhan University People's Hospital to try IVF. Professor Li Aibin, who received the treatment, arranged a detailed examination for Ms. Tang and her wife, and formulated an individualized "ovulation induction - in vitro fertilization - embryo transfer" plan.
During the treatment, Li Aibin's team successfully cultivated a batch of embryos for Ms. Tang, and after three days of in vitro cultivation, two of them were transferred to Ms. Tang. Soon, an ultrasound confirmed that Ms. Tang's pregnancy was successful, and the whole family was delighted.
Professor Li Aibin (first from right) undergoing surgery
After about 8 weeks of pregnancy, in order to ensure the safety of the pregnancy, according to the wishes of Ms. Tang and her family, the expert team performed fetal reduction surgery for her, and only one embryo was preserved in the uterus.
In September 2011, after becoming pregnant in October, Ms. Tang gave birth to a lively and healthy baby boy. The remaining three embryos were kept in a liquid nitrogen tank at minus 196°C in the Reproductive Medicine Center, cared for by a professional embryology team, and Ms. Tang and his wife also paid storage fees regularly, and they never forgot their "babies" sleeping in the embryology laboratory.
12 years later, at the age of 44, she woke up her "sleeping" baby
In the 12 years since the birth of Dabao, Ms. Tang's family of three has lived a happy life, and her son has grown into a strong guy. In the past year or two, Ms. Tang sometimes leaves work early, her home is empty, and she can't help but miss the scene of children playing at home many years ago. Coupled with the country's liberalization of the birth policy in recent years, many friends around Ms. Tang have given birth to two and three children one after another, and she also had the idea of having a second child in her heart.
After much consideration, 44-year-old Ms. Tang wants to wake up her baby who has been "sleeping" for 12 years. Although Ms. Tang also knows that women her age are prone to high blood pressure, diabetes, premature birth, postpartum hemorrhage and other risks after pregnancy, fortunately, everyone in the family fully supports her idea, and her son also longs to have a brother or sister. After a period of ideological struggle and serious consideration, Ms. Tang and her husband unanimously decided to add another baby from the frozen embryos that year.
In May 2022, Ms. Tang and her husband came to the Reproductive Medicine Center of Wuhan University People's Hospital again to find Professor Li Aibin, asking to thaw the frozen embryos and give birth to a baby.
One round apart, the twin brothers of the same rabbit finally meet
After learning of Ms. Tang's wishes, Professor Li Aibin expressed his support and willingness to work with them. She conducted a series of preconception tests for Ms. Tang, 44, and developed a personalized fertility plan based on her physical condition.
After careful preparation, in May 2022, the expert team removed Ms. Tang's frozen embryos and started the "awakening" process. Embryos preserved at ultra-low temperature in a liquid nitrogen tank are quickly placed in thawing solution. Embryologists performed fine manipulation under a microscope, first resuscitated and thawed, and then cultured for 3 days, and 2 high-quality blastocysts were harvested. Subsequently, these two "seeds" carrying the hope of life were transplanted into Ms. Tang's body. Eleven days later, Ms. Tang determined she was pregnant through a blood hCG test.
Later, further ultrasound revealed that an embryo had successfully implanted and survived in the uterus, and the whole family was happy, which meant that the family would be full of vitality and vitality again. This is also the embryo that has been preserved for the longest time and successfully recovered by the Reproductive Medicine Center of Wuhan University People's Hospital.
The embryologist places the "awakened" embryos in an incubator
Since Ms. Tang's second child is an advanced age and high-risk pregnancy, she strictly follows the doctor's advice to strengthen nutritional intake, control weight and blood sugar growth, and try to avoid complications such as gestational diabetes and hypertension. Under the care of her family, Ms. Tang passed the pregnancy smoothly. At 38 weeks + 4 days, Ms. Tang underwent cesarean section and successfully gave birth to a healthy and lively baby.
Professor Li Aibin said that although the brothers are 12 years apart, they were fertilized at the same time in 2009 and belong to the same batch of embryos, and from a medical point of view, they are also twin brothers.
【Expert appeal】
"Moms and dads, wake up the sleeping little ones as soon as possible"
"Freezing embryos is a preservation technique that stores embryos in liquid nitrogen tanks at minus 196°C, where the embryo metabolism is at rest, so that it can be stored for a long time. From a technical point of view, this technology is now very mature. Professor Li Aibin, Center of Reproductive Medicine of Wuhan University People's Hospital, introduced that the current reproductive center uses embryo vitrification freezing technology, which can effectively avoid the formation of ice crystals in the embryo and maximize the protection of frozen embryos after resuscitation.
She also said that there is no need to worry about the health of the "ice baby" born after awakening transplantation, "The resuscitation technology of embryos is also very mature, and the medical community has not found that the 'ice baby' has significant differences from the baby born in natural pregnancy in terms of intelligence, development, complications, various birth defects, etc., and the overall health is good." ”
"Mom and Dad, come and wake up your sleeping little ones and bring them into this world!" Professor Li Aibin appealed. With the liberalization of the comprehensive two-child and three-child policies, although many couples have come to consult how to thaw frozen embryos, there are still a large number of "cold babies" sleeping in liquid nitrogen tanks in the reproductive center. According to rough statistics, since 2010, a total of about 5,000 frozen embryos have been stored in the Reproductive Medicine Center of Wuhan University People's Hospital.
In this regard, Professor Li Aibin reminded that under normal circumstances, if you are not pregnant for one year, you can be judged as infertility, and you must see a fertility specialist in time, and you must not delay too long, so as not to miss the golden age of childbirth.
In addition, embryo freezing and egg freezing are not once and for all. The golden age of childbearing for women is between the ages of 23 and 30. After the age of 35, the ovarian function of women will gradually deteriorate, coupled with the impact of advanced pregnant women on their own and fetal fertility risks, eugenics will be greatly reduced. For couples who have stored frozen embryos and have a two-child or three-child birth plan, it is recommended to plan as soon as possible and consult a specialist, so as not to let the frozen embryos stay asleep in the liquid nitrogen tank.
Source: Polar News, photo provided by Wuhan University People's Hospital