`OLDEST' EMBRYO BROUGHT TO LIFE.

Byline: Heesun Wee Daily News Staff Writer

A San Fernando Valley woman - who forgot about an embryo she had frozen 7-1/2 years ago - gave birth Monday to what physicians are calling ``the world's oldest newborn.''

The healthy 8-pound, 15-ounce boy was born at a Tarzana hospital to a woman, 44, and her husband, 54, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their privacy.

The couple, who had a baby by in vitro fertilization previously, got a letter about a year ago reminding them that they had three embryos left from the process in 1989. That's when they decided to have a second ``test tube'' baby.

``Mom and dad are very happy,'' said Michael Vermesh, an infertility specialist at Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, who performed the in vitro fertilization for the landmark case.

The father recorded the birth with a camcorder. ``Dad was queasy but recovered quickly,'' Vermesh added.

The baby was born at 1:07 p.m. after a routine, 35-minute Caesarean section. Mother and child were reported in good health.

The newborn will meet the world at a news conference scheduled for noon today at the Tarzana hospital.

Vermesh said medical literature indicates the longest time lapsed between freezing an embryo and bringing it to life had been five to six years - until now.

The couple's unique journey into this uncharted territory full of thorny ethical questions began about eight years ago.

They had been battling infertility when they turned to in vitro fertilization in 1989. The process yielded their first child, a boy, in August 1990.

Test tube babies

Often referred to as test tube babies, in vitro fertilization, or IVF, involves conceiving a child outside the body.

The procedure begins with drugs to stimulate ovulation. Eggs then are removed from the woman and, in a laboratory, are joined with sperm. Fertilized eggs are inserted back into the woman in the hopes of achieving pregnancy. Unused embryos are frozen for additional attempts, in case previous efforts are unsuccessful.

While most couples are notified about remaining embryos following IVF, Vermesh said, the Valley couple apparently lost track of their three remaining, unused fertilized eggs after their successful experience.

``The couple was not aware that they had three frozen embryos,'' Vermesh said.

``In the excitement of conception, sometimes people don't pay attention to what they're being told over the phone,'' he speculated.

The three embryos remained frozen inside a freezer at California Hospital in downtown Los Angeles until a year ago, when the laboratory storing the embryos moved to another Los Angeles hospital, Vermesh said.

That's when the Valley couple received a letter notifying them about their frozen embryos, asking them what they wanted to do. ``We're not at liberty to destroy embryos without a couple's consent,'' Vermesh said.

The couple's decision has led to medical history.

Of the three thawed embryos, only the one survived, Vermesh said.

Improved chances

And in spite of the mother's age, a risk factor when it comes to pregnancies, using an embryo cultivated almost a decade ago actually might have improved its chances of survival.

That's because the now 44-year-old woman essentially bore the baby of a 35-year-old, when the eggs she was producing were more viable.

``It's the embryo of a young woman,'' said Snunit Ben-Ozer, another infertility specialist at the Tarzana hospital. ``We used the frozen embryos, put them into the womb and she conceived.''

Monday's medical milestone comes at a time when many already are wary about the consequences of scientific advances such as cloning and genetic engineering.

Now, new questions are being raised about the process of freezing embryos, how long they should be stored and whether years-old specimens should be used at all.

``My answer is we don't have the information,'' Vermesh said.

In contrast to the couple's initial IVF that took about a month and cost between $8,000 and $10,000, including ovulation medication, this time around was quicker and less expensive. Using the already existing embryos cost the couple only about $750, Ben-Ozer said. ``It's very short and sweet,'' she added.