March 28, 2024

Final triplet arrives five years later

From eight embryos come two boys in 2008 and a girl in 2013.

More adventures in artificial reproduction. A British woman has given birth to her third triplet five years after twin boys arrived in 2008. Nicola Brightey and her husband Kevin turned to IVF after they were unable to conceive naturally. An illness in her teen years had blocked her fallopian tubes.

During the treatment, Mrs Brightey produced 14 eggs from which eight embryos were created. Two were placed successfully in her womb in 2008, resulting in twin boys, Daniel and James. The remaining six were cryopreserved.

After a few years, they wanted another child. One embryo failed to develop, but a second did, resulting in the birth of Elizabeth. Mrs Brightey told the Daily Mail: “For years I never thought that we would ever be parents, and it has been such a long battle to have our triplets. It has taken 15 years and nearly £20,000 but it has been worth every penny. I feel like the luckiest mum in the world.”

Presumably another four embryos remain in the freezer. 

Michael Cook
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