Two women have undergone womb transplants for the first time in the UK. The country’s pioneering move will allow infertile women to have their own children.
The operation took place over nine hours in Oxford, United Kingdom, and the woman’s sister was the donor of the womb. Guardian.
The 34-year-old woman who received her uterus was “incredibly happy” and “on cloud one” with the success of the operation, the medical team said. The woman is now planning to have two children using insemination. In laboratory testing mode.
The woman was born with a rare disease that prevented her uterus from developing, preventing pregnancy.
The sister who donated the uterus, is 40 years old and already has two biological children.
Reactions to the “big hit”.
Surgeon Isabel Quiroga, Hospital Oxford Transplantation Centre (part of Oxford University Hospitals), said he was “thrilled” and “extremely proud” that the surgery was a success.
The patient is “incredibly happy,” said the surgeon, “she is absolutely over the moon, very happy and looking forward to having not one but two babies. Your uterus is working perfectly and we are closely monitoring your progress.”
Surgeon Richard Smith is the charity’s medical lead Womb Transplant UK and Consultant Gynecological Surgeon Imperial College LondonSharing the same satisfaction.
“It was probably the most stressful week of my career, but incredibly positive. The donor and the recipient are in the clouds, simply in the clouds. I’m happy about it all. At the first post-op consultation with the recipient, we were all close to tears,” she revealed.
“I am happy that we have a donor who is completely back to normal after her major surgery and the recipient is doing well on her immunosuppressive therapy and is looking forward to having a baby,” he added.
A second womb transplant in the UK is already planned for this autumn, with more patients in the pipeline. Surgeons are allowed to perform 10 surgeries involving brain-dead donors, and five using a living donor.
More than 90 uterus transplants have been performed internationally. Including Spain, Sweden, USA, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, Czech Republic, Brazil, Germany, Serbia and India, most of which involve living donors. 50 babies have already been born worldwide with this transplant.
