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LONDON, May 25, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – British scientists have reported the birth of a healthy baby boy born to a father whose sperm was frozen for 21 years. The man, who was treated for testicular cancer at the age of 17, had a sample of his sperm frozen before the cancer treatment. His thawed sperm was used to fertilize his wife’s ova in-vitro, resulting in the birth of the boy in 2002.  Birmingham University fertility specialist Chris Barratt told the British Broadcasting Corporation that he was not surprised, as animal sperm has been viable after remaining frozen for more than 40 years.

“We believe this is the longest period of sperm cryopreservation resulting in a live birth reported in the scientific literature,” Elizabeth Pease, one member of the research team involved in the in-vitro experiment, told the BBC.  Pease is a reproductive medicine consultant to St. Mary’s Hospital, Manchester.  Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:  Brave New World of IVF: Woman’s Legal Appeal For Former Partner’s Frozen Sperm   https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/oct/03103106.html