A Greek couple has welcomed a baby girl just months after losing their 21-year-old son in a road crash, using an embryo that had been frozen for more than 22 years.

Cristina Rapti-Tzelepi, 54, and her husband, Constantinos Raptis, turned to IVF as they sought a new beginning after their son Giorgos died in October.

According to AP news, the couple had only 2½ months to complete the procedure before Rapti-Tzelepi reached Greece’s legal age limit of 54 for IVF treatment requiring approval from the national authority.

She gave birth to their daughter, Georgia, in Athens on Wednesday. The baby weighed 3.49kg.

The couple named her after Giorgos, who was also born through IVF.

“We decided to give life a second chance, to make a new start,” Rapti-Tzelepi said.

The baby was born from the couple’s own embryo, frozen in 2004. The case comes after an Ohio couple welcomed a baby last year from an embryo frozen for more than 30 years.

Rapti-Tzelepi’s doctor, Kostas Pantos, said Greece’s age restrictions should be reconsidered as the country faces a declining birth rate.

The couple have not ruled out having another child, possibly by seeking treatment abroad.