Baby Born From a Deceased Woman’s Transplanted Uterus

In some good health news, a healthy baby girl was born from the transplanted womb of a deceased donor this June. 

(Photo: iStockphoto)

This June, a healthy baby girl was born to a mother in America. While great news, this sounds fairly straightforward. What makes it exciting is that the baby was born from the transplanted uterus of a deceased woman donor.

The baby and mother are both doing well according to a press release by Cleveland Clinic, the hospital where the child was born.

We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

Dr Uma Perni, Cleveland Clinic maternal fetal medicine specialist said in the press release.

This development gives great hope to women and people with reproductive issues and moves the needle of reproductive research and rights forward.

People reported that this feat occurred for the first time in North America, but the first ever such incident where a child was delivered from a deceased donor’s uterus occurred in December 2017 in Brazil.

However, the first ever child delivered from the transplanted womb of a living donor was in 2014 in Sweden.

Birth Part of a Trial and On-going Research into Infertility

The transplant and birth are the result on an ongoing clinical trial as part of Cleveland Clinic’s continuing research on uterine transplantation and infertility.

The anonymous patient was born without a uterus and entered the trial to deliver a child said Dr Tommaso Falcone a member of the research team, reported CNN.

Dr Falcone added that the patient decided to remove the transplanted uterus after the birth.

Dr Perni reiterated that “It’s important to remember this is still research. The field of uterus transplantation is rapidly evolving, and it’s exciting to see what the options may be for women in the future.”

The press release further adds that this is an issue concerning women around the globe as an “estimated 1 in 500 women of child bearing age” are affected by the irresversible condition called uterine factor infertility.

Since the trials started, five women have undergone uterine transplants and three of these have been successful – the other two have resulted in hysterectomies.

Perfectly Normal Delivery Despite Extraordinary Circumstance Say Doctor

The research team of this project proudly delivered the healthy girl via a cesarean delivery.

“It was amazing how perfectly normal this delivery was, considering how extraordinary the occasion,” said Cleveland Clinic transplant surgeon Dr Andreas Tzakis.

(With inputs from People and CNN)