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Uterus Transplants: Challenges and Potential

The birth of a healthy child in Sweden in October, 2014 after a uterus transplant from a living donor marked the advent of a new technique to help women with absent or non-functional uteruses to bear genetic offspring. The Cleveland Clinic has now led American doctors into this space, performing the first US uterine transplant in February, 2016 as part of an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved series of ten transplants using cadaveric donors. Dallas and Boston medical centers have also been approved for this program, as will other programs as progress continues. An estimate of 50,000 American women are potential clients.

The path to womb transplants, however, will not be easy.…

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Featured

 Inside the controversial new surgery to transplant human wombs

Pioneering surgeons have made it possible to transplant a human uterus that can bear children, offering hope to millions of women who never thought they could give birth.

Articles of Interest

A Sad, Unexpected Failure Highlights How Many Questions Still Remain About Uterus Transplants

While uterus transplants aren't meant to be permanent, the goal is to leave them in place until the recipient delivers one or two babies. At that point the organ is supposed to be removed so that the woman can stop taking anti-rejection drugs, which can increase her risk of infection and cancer.

A Transplanted Uterus Offers Hope, But Procedure Stirs Debate

There are many, many risks, and they concern me greatly," says Dr. Wendy Chavkin, an emeritus professor of public health and obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University. She notes that, unlike the transplant of a liver or heart, a uterine transplant is not a life-saving procedure. Others worry that the procedure perpetuates social stereotypes.

Everything You Need To Know About Uterus Transplants

Most women have probably cursed their pain-inflicting uteruses at least once in their menstrual histories. But an increasing number of women who don’t have them—either because they were born without or had them previously removed—are going to great lengths to obtain new ones.

First Baby Born To U.S. Uterus Transplant Patient Raises Ethics Questions

He was talking about the birth of a baby boy to a mother who underwent a uterus transplant last year. It's a first in the U.S., but in Sweden, eight babies have been born to mothers with uterus transplants. Not everyone is celebrating though.

How a Transgender Woman Could Get Pregnant

The uncharted territory of uterus transplants is sparking patients’ interest, but surgeons and endocrinologists remain wary

The High-Tech Future of the Uterus

Following the recent success of the world's first uterus transplant, scientists are pursuing the new frontier of the bioengineered womb.

Uterus transplantation and beyond

Uterus transplantation is today the only available treatment for absolute uterine factor infertility which is caused by either congenital/surgical uterine absence or that a present uterus is non-functioning. Structured animal-based research, from rodents to nonhuman primates, was the scientific basis for a successful introduction of uterus transplantation as a clinical procedure.

Uterus transplants are extremely risky. Doctors should keep doing them anyway.

To appreciate why this particular transplant is so controversial, one needs to understand just how complicated the process is.

Uterus Transplants Fail Again: Why Are They So Difficult?

The main challenge for uterus transplants is that the surgery is very new, so it will take time to perfect.

Uterus Transplants May Soon Help Some Infertile Women in the U.S. Become Pregnant

Uterine transplantation is a new frontier, one that pairs specialists from two fields known for innovation and for pushing limits, medically and ethically — reproductive medicine and transplant surgery. If the procedure works, many women could benefit...

Resources

6 Things You Should Know About Uterus Transplants

Experts disagree about whether or not the experimental procedure is ethical.