How long can frozen embryos be stored?

Our clients often ask, how long can I store my embryos? We say, indefinitely. And we continue to see healthy babies born from embryos that have been in storage for longer and longer! There is no maximum number of years an embryo can stay in storage and still be viable. Meaning that someone can store their embryos as long as they wish.

The first successful birth from a frozen embryo was in 1978 and since then there have been many successful births from frozen embryos. Beginning in the 1980s, embryo freezing has become a common practice among clinicians. Currently, the longest recorded frozen embryo resulting in a successful birth happened in 2020 when a donated embryo that had been frozen for 27 years produced a healthy baby girl, named Molly. The previous record was set by her sister, Emma, who was born from an embryo that had been in storage for 24 years.