First successful uterus transplant takes place in the US
The first successful uterus transplant has taken place in the US.
The procedure took place at the Cleveland Clinic, which made the announcement that it could have many possible applications in future.
Women who do not have a uterus or those who do not have a functioning uterus could potentially undergo transplants in the future.
After nine hours of surgery, the unidentified 26-year-old patient was in stable condition.
A deceased donor gave the uterus.
The clinic is running a transplant study for women with Uterine Factor Infertility, which means “they were born without a uterus, have lost their uterus, or have a uterus that no longer functions.”
The idea would be for women to be able to experience pregnancy, as the uterus would take a year to heal.
Then following implanted embryos and pregnancies, during which doctors would prescribe anti-rejection drugs, the uterus would either be removed or allowed to disintegrate.
The reason the Clinic wants the transplants to be temporary is to “reduce long-term exposure to the medications.”
“After 1-2 healthy babies are born, the anti-rejection drugs are stopped … the transplanted uterus is either removed or allowed to disintegrate,” the hospital said in a statement.
The first successful uterus transplant took place in Sweden, after which a woman gave birth to a baby in 2014.
However the procedure has been criticised by some who say the procedure is a waste of resources.
But others have said that theoretically the surgery could be used to enable men or trans women to become pregnant.
Speaking to Yahoo, Dr Karine Chung, the director of the fertility preservation program at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine estimated that men could carry children to full-term, and give birth.
Dr Chung said: “My guess is five, 10 years away, maybe sooner.”
The cost of transplant surgery is also a huge issue to overcome, as the cost for transplants currently can range from tens of thousands to millions of pounds.
The potential benefit to transgender people has also been noted by scientists, as the surgery would in theory allow trans women to carry children.
