Taiwanese teacher, 48, gives birth to third son just before embryos expire

A high school English teacher in Taichung, Taiwan, has welcomed her third son at the age of 48, a remarkable feat achieved just before the 10-year legal limit for storing her frozen embryos expired. The teacher, surnamed Li, had undergone IVF treatments a decade ago, resulting in three boys, leading her to jokingly describe her home as a "boys' dormitory."

The three sons were all delivered by the reproductive medicine center at Taichung's Matsu General Hospital. Hospital director Dr. Li Mao-sheng celebrated the successful birth, noting the significance of the event against the backdrop of Taiwan's severe declining birth rate. He projected that the number of newborns in Taiwan this year could fall below 90,000, marking the seventh consecutive year of this demographic trend.

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I actually had three sons, like living in a boys' dormitory.

Ms. Li's journey involved using eggs frozen 10 years prior when she was 38. Her third pregnancy, undertaken at 47, involved pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) on embryos developed to the blastocyst stage. This meticulous process, including taking cells from the embryos for testing before implantation, increased the chances of a successful pregnancy.

Ms. Li's mother, a devout Buddhist, had expressed concern about discarding the remaining embryos, viewing them as potential lives. Encouraged by Dr. You Zi-ning at the hospital, Ms. Li decided to pursue implantation of the remaining frozen embryos last year. The successful birth of her youngest son has brought surprise and joy, fulfilling her mother's wishes and adding a lively, albeit boisterous, atmosphere to their home.

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This year, the number of newborns in Taiwan is likely to be less than 90,000, entering the seventh year of the 'death cross'.