Baby made from sperm taken 48 hours after man's death

Australian doctors have completed an amazing feat: creating a baby from sperm taken 48 hours after a man had died.

Previously, the longest time recorded for sperm taken posthumously producing a healthy baby was 30 hours, but this time Canberra doctors were able to perform the world first two days after the man’s death.

The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had to fight through the Supreme Court in Adelaide after her husband died in a motorbike accident. After two days of securing approval, she travelled to Canberra for the procedure, as the ACT is the only location in Australia where the sperm of a deceased man can be used without written consent.

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The details of the case will be presented at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricicans and Gynaecologists world conference next week.

IVF expert Steve Robson told the the SMH it was the most unique case he’s ever worked on.

“On a professional level this has been, from my perspective, a love story, and it has been incredible to be involved with helping a woman who has so much love and courage,” he said. “As a group we were impressed with the amount of love this woman had, and her tremendous endurance against all the obstacles she faced.”

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In South Australia, sperm is only able to be used posthumously if taken before death, however the woman was able to prove she and her husband were planning on having a baby, leading courts to allow the sperm be collected.

The women fell pregnant on her first IVF attempt and is now the mother to a healthy one-year-old.