A rare chance to gather data at the Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is working with the University of Calgary's faculty of veterinary medicine on a few different studies.
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CTV News
22 minutes ago
- CTV News
An Ohio couple welcomes a baby boy from a nearly 31-year-old frozen embryo
About two per cent of U.S. births are the result of in vitro fertilization, even less come from donated embryos. A baby boy born last week to an Ohio couple developed from an embryo that had been frozen for more than 30 years in what is believed to be a record length of storage time before a birth. In what's known as embryo adoption, Linda and Tim Pierce used a handful of embryos donated in 1994 in their pursuit of having a child after fighting infertility for years. Their son was born Saturday from an embryo that had been in storage for 11,148 days, which the Pierces' doctor says sets a record. It's a concept that has been around since the 1990s but is gaining attraction as some fertility clinics and advocates, often Christian-centered, oppose discarding leftover embryos because of their belief that life begins at or around conception and that all embryos deserve to be treated like children who need a home. 'I felt all along that these three little hopes, these little embryos, deserved to live just like my daughter did,' said Linda Archerd, 62, who donated her embryos to the Pierces. Just about two per cent of births in the U.S. are the result of in vitro fertilization, and an even smaller fraction involve donated embryos. However, medical experts estimate about 1.5 million frozen embryos are currently being stored throughout the country, with many of those in limbo as parents wrestle with what to do with their leftover embryos created in IVF labs. Further complicating the topic is a 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision that said that frozen embryos have the legal status of children. State leaders have since devised a temporary solution shielding clinics from liability stemming from that ruling, though questions linger about remaining embryos. Archerd says she turned to IVF in 1994. Back then, the ability to freeze, thaw and transfer embryos was making key progress and opening the door for hopeful parents to create more embryos and increase their chances of a successful transfer. She wound up with four embryos and initially hoped to use them all. But after the birth of her daughter, Archerd and her husband divorced, disrupting her timeline for having more children. As the years turned into decades, Archerd said she was wracked with guilt about what to do with the embryos as storage fees continued to rise. Eventually, she found Snowflakes, a division of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which offers open adoptions to donors. Archerd was also able to set preferences for what families would adopt her embryos. 'I wanted to be a part of this baby's life,' she said. 'And I wanted to know the adopting parents.' The process was tricky, requiring Archerd to contact her initial fertility doctor in Oregon and dig through paper records to get the proper documentation for the donation. The embryos then had to be shipped from Oregon to the Pierces' doctor in Tennessee. The clinic, Rejoice Fertility in Knoxville, refuses to discard frozen embryos and has become known for handling embryos stored in outdated and older containers. Of the three donated embryos the Pierces received from Archerd, one didn't make the thaw. Two were transferred to Lindsey Pierce's womb, but just one successfully implanted. According to Dr. John David Gordon, the transfer of the nearly 31-year-old embryo marks the longest-frozen embryo to result in a live birth. He would know, Gordon says his clinic assisted in the previous record, when Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from embryos frozen for 30 years, or 10,905 days. 'I think that these stories catch the imagination,' Gordon said. 'But I think they also provide a little bit of a cautionary tale to say: Why are these embryos sitting in storage? You know, why do we have this problem?' In a statement, Lindsey and Tim Pierce said the clinic's support was just what they needed. 'We didn't go into this thinking about records — we just wanted to have a baby,' Lindsey Pierce said. For Archerd, the donation process has been an emotional roller coaster. Relief that her embryos finally found a home, sadness it couldn't be with her and a little anxiety about what the future holds next, with possibly meeting the Pierces and the baby in person. 'I'm hoping that they're going to send pictures,' she said, noting that the parents have already sent several after the birth. 'I'd love to meet them some day. That would be a dream come true to meet — meet them and the baby.' Kimberlee Kruesi, The Associated Press
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Maternity ward gaps temporarily filled in Prince George, but health authority says underlying shortages remain
Social Sharing Northern Health says it has managed to fill gaps in maternity ward services in Prince George for the months of August and September, but warns underlying staffing issues remain a concern. On July 21, the health authority announced that a shortage of obstetrical specialists could limit care options available to expecting parents in the city. But in an updated statement posted Aug. 1, Northern Health said specialist coverage has been secured for August and September. However, it also warned that a provincewide shortage of Royal College-certified obstetrical specialists could lead to future issues, and that northern B.C. is not alone in trying to grapple with the problem. "While we have secured coverage for the near term, we continue to monitor the situation closely and plan proactively for the months ahead," the statement says. WATCH | 'Terrifying' maternity ward gaps trouble new parents, doctors: Maternity health providers in B.C. lament shortage of qualified workers 2 days ago The University Hospital of Northern B.C. (UHNBC) in Prince George is the largest hospital in the Northern Health region, and often provides maternity services to outlying communities for hundreds of kilometres. The possibility of being unable to provide full coverage was "terrifying," according to Dr. Kasandra Joss, the acting general practitioner-obstetric lead at UHNBC, who spoke to CBC News while work was still underway to try to fill the gaps. She said that doctors from other communities had agreed to help provide coverage, while at least one other physician rearranged her holidays in order to help out. "It is absolutely the most stressful thing that any of us has been through," she said. Meanwhile, Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops is still expecting gaps in coverage for at least the month of August, though Interior Health says it, too, is working to find solutions. Provincial Health Minister Josie Osborne has acknowledged the anxiety the disruptions are causing and has said that no one in need of care would be turned away when birth is imminent. She's also focused on recruitment efforts underway by the province to bring in more health providers. Kiel Giddens, a B.C. Conservative MLA who represents Prince George, said in a statement that to have any disruptions in some of the largest hospitals in the Interior and north is a troubling trend. "This is quite alarming," he said in an earlier interview.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Family and friends gearing up for Ironman in memory of Ottawa athlete
Friends and family of Sindy Hooper, an Ottawa woman who $500,000 for cancer research before her death, are taking on the Ironman triathlon on Ottawa on Aug. 3, 2025. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)
