Within the last several years we have seen major breakthrough in organ transplantation: multi-organ transplant, hair transplant, bone marrow transplant and even face and hand transplant. Now a British surgeon wants to be the first in the world to successfully perform a uterine transplant from a mother to her daughter, the Telegraph reports. I said to successfully perform because it has been tried only once on a human before and it was in 2000 in Saudi Arabia. The uterus had to be removed 4 months later due to complications with blood supply.
What is Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser Syndrome?
In this case it involves a British mother
of 53 years old and her 25 years old daughter. The daughter was born with a rare condition called Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser syndrome. This genetic mishap has an occurrence in every 4,000 to 5,000 births, obviously in girls only. In short it is the absence or malformation of a uterus. The subject will have normal ovaries and normal breast development but won’t be able to conceive children.
High-Risk Surgery
If everything goes according to the plan, the surgery is scheduled to take place next spring in Sweden. Dr Mats Brannstrom, who is leading the medical team, said a womb transplant remained one of the most complex operations known to medical science. The uterus has a very complex blood supply system and it is a procedure with a very high risk of hemorrhage. If the surgery is successful, which would be a first in the world, she could conceive by using her own eggs fertilized with her boyfriend’s sperm and then implanted in the transplanted uterus.
Pregnancy and Immunosuppressant Therapy
The major problem I see with that is the need of immunosuppressant drugs to avoid rejection with a pregnancy. They don’t mention anything in the article regarding the risk of a pregnancy after organ transplant. Obviously this would be a high-risk pregnancy and be the nightmare of most transplant physicians. If you were in the same situation, would you do the same thing?
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Source: World’s first womb transplant planned