It’s not known whether this was the oldest frozen embryo to result in successful childbirth. CNN cites Dr Zaher Merhi, director of IVF research and development at New Hope Fertility Center, who said: “Identifying the oldest known embryo is simply an impossibility”.

It was Carol Sommerfelt, embryology lab director at the National Embryo Donation Center, who told the couple how old their donated embryo was. She had unthawed three ‘snowbabies’, all of them adopted from the same anonymous donor, and all three had survived (this came as a surprise, given that the survival rate when unthawing frozen embryos usually sits at around 75%).

All three embryos were transferred to Tina, but (as is commonly the case) only one implanted. The transfer “worked out perfect,” Tina said. “It’s a miracle. First time.”

Image: Rex Features

Woman gives birth to a baby girl from an embryo frozen in 1992