ATHENS, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A Greek woman from Piraeus port gave birth to a healthy baby boy here this week with a pioneering technique developed by Greek and Spanish experts, which may help more couples around the world with infertility issues, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Friday.
"I still struggle to believe it, I take him in my arms and cry, it seems incredible," Matina Karavokyri told AMNA explaining how after many failed in-vitro efforts she became a mother using another woman's donor egg without nucleus.
"Four attempts, the next solution was to use a donor egg. Then I was given the choice to try this new method and I did not think twice. My dream has come true," said the woman who had an endometriosis problem due to mutations in her mitochondrial DNA.
Karavokyri explained that the nucleus from her own egg containing all her genetic material was removed from the mitochondria and inserted into a donor egg from which the nucleus had been removed and contained only healthy mitochondria. Then doctors fertilized it with the sperm of her husband.
"It does not contain anything from a third person. The baby is ours a hundred percent," she stressed, dismissing comments about a baby with three parents.
Karavokyri expressed deep gratitude to the unidentified donor. "I would also like to meet her, but it is not allowed. I would like to thank her very much. I wish her all the best," she said.
