Cleveland Clinic Doctors Will Soon Transplant Uteruses - Within the next few months, a group of Cleveland Clinic doctors will
become the first in the United States to transplant a uterus into
a woman who was born without it. The main aim of the research is to
allow a woman who lacks one to become pregnant and give birth.
According to a New York Times report,
the clinical trial will involve ten women who were born without
uteruses. Although the transplant surgery holds great promise, it is
still considered highly experimental. Recipients will face the risks of
the procedure and the anti-rejection drugs that they need to take after
the operation.
The uterus transplant will be temporary, and the uterus would be
removed after the woman has had one to two babies. Removing the uterus
is important after one or two successful pregnancies because it will
allow the recipient to stop taking anti-rejection drugs.
The same report confirmed that eight women in the United States have
begun the screening process. One unnamed applicant, 26 years old, with
two adopted children, has told the paper that she still wanted a chance
to carry her own baby and give birth. She was sixteen years old when she
found out that she had ovaries but no uterus.
In a press release published Thursday, the hospital revealed that the
exact incidence of uterine factor infertility or UFI is unknown, but
estimates say that it affects thousands of women of childbearing age
worldwide. Some women have congenital UFI, or the uterus is absent at
birth, while others acquire UFI after hysterectomy or because of damage
from infections, or pelvic and abdominal surgery.
Uterus transplant, researchers say, offers these women “a ray of hope.”
Tommaso Falcone, MD, chair of the Ob/Gyn & Women’s Health
Institute said women with UFI have few options, like surrogacy
and adoption. But such options “pose logistical challenges and may not
be acceptable due to personal, cultural or legal reasons,” he said. He
also added that although surrogacy is an option in the United States, it
can become legally complicated.
In other countries, he said, surrogacy is often highly restricted or banned outright.
The Cleveland Clinic confirmed the first two uterus transplants were
unsuccessful, and organ rejection during the pregnancy of the recipient
was a major factor.
In 2014, Swedish doctors transplanted uteruses into 9 women. Similar
to applicants at The Cleveland Clinic, the women were born without a
uterus or had it removed because of complications and cancer. Most of
the participants are in their 30s.
The Cleveland Clinic said the University of Gothenberg team in Sweden
has performed nine uterus transplants, and has achieved five
pregnancies and four live births. Source: StGist
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