First Uterus Transplant Using Living-Donor Performed In The United States

First Posted: Oct 07, 2016 03:37 AM EDT
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Doctors at a Texas hospital have managed to perform four uterus transplants using living donors. This is the first time a procedure like this has been performed in the United States. However, among the four women who received the womb transplant, only one has been proven to be successful.

A team of doctors at the Baylor University Medical Center has been trying their luck in using living donors in their uterine transplant. Time reported that according to a statement released by the hospital, it said that the four surgeries happened between Sept. 14 and Sept. 22, and three of the womb transplants were removed after tests determined the organs were not receiving enough blood flow. However, one woman still has her transplanted uterus and has shown no signs of rejection so far.

However, a statement from the hospital said that the fourth uterus seems to be doing just fine, so far. It also said that the surgical team was "cautiously optimistic" the fourth woman's transplanted uterus would be functional. "This is the way we advance, from learning from our mistakes," lead surgeon at Baylor University Medical Centre in Dallas, Giuliano Testa, told Time. "I am not ashamed of being the one who will be remembered as the guy who did four [transplants] in the beginning and three failed. Even if through failure, I am going to make this work."

Medline Plus reported that uterus transplants with live donors have high success rates. In Sweden, where the surgery was first performed, five out of nine womb transplant recipients have given birth to healthy babies and one woman is pregnant for the second time. No other details about the procedure or the patients were released, since patients wanted to maintain their privacy

Dr. Testa explained that all four of the women who received the transplant have a condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome and were born without a uterus. According to statistics, about one in 4,500 women in the U.S. are believed to have MRKH. Reports said that Baylor plans to perform a total of 10 womb transplants before the end of 2016. "You cannot discount the desire of a woman to have a normal pregnancy, bear her own child, and deliver," says Dr. Testa. "This is part of human nature."

Experts still believe that the procedure remains highly experimental, with a high failure rate. They also think that further research will be needed to determine its safety and success. CNN reported that another US hospital Brigham and Women's in Boston is approved to attempt the said procedure.

Meanwhile, this is the second time a hospital in the United States has tried womb transplants. In February, the Cleveland Clinic performed the first uterus transplant in the U.S., but they used deceased donor uterus. However, less than two weeks after the transplant, the recipient, Lindsey McFarland, acquired an infection and the transplant had to be removed, reported Science Alert.

Since then the Cleveland Clinic has put its program on pause. Uterus transplants are believed to cost an arm and leg. Reports said that it is estimated to cost from $150,000 to over $500,000, and since they are still experimental, they are not usually covered by insurance. At Baylor, it took about five hours for the wombs to be removed from the donors, and another five to transplant. The surgical team consisted of four Baylor University Medical Center surgeons, two Swedish surgeons with womb transplant experience, two anesthesiologists, and seven operating room nurses.

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