JERUSALEM:An Israeli woman has given birth to healthy twins from embryos fertilised 12 years earlier, in what doctors said this week was the first successful implantation of embryos frozen for so long.

The twin boy and girl were born nine months ago, said Ariel Revel of the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem. Their 39-year-old mother gave birth to twins 12 years ago from the same batch of frozen embryos.

“This is the longest recorded time,” said Dr Revel. He said that according to medical literature, the previous record was a successful birth from an embryo frozen for seven years.

“The implication is that the time span embryos are frozen is not crucial. Probably there is no more damage happening during the many years they are frozen,” Dr Revel said.

In Britain, embryos are stored for five years, but that can be extended for an additional five years. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said the 10-year rule could be extended “in exceptional circumstances” if two doctors confirmed that the couple had or would become prematurely infertile.