First Womb Transplant in the U.S. Successfully Completed After 9-Hour Surgery

The first ever uterus transplant in the U.S. was successfully completed at the Cleveland Clinic Center after a grueling nine-hour surgery. The patient was a 26-year old woman who received the uterus from a donor who just died.

According to U.S. News, several gynecological surgeons went on to operate on the woman on Wednesday, who refused to be named to protect her privacy. After the surgical process, Cleveland Clinic immediately announced made the announcement of its successful completion.

Cleveland Clinic has been screening candidates since last year for a possible uterus transplant, which will help the chosen candidate to have a uterus that will allow her to carry a pregnancy and give birth afterward. Aside from the chance of naturally giving birth, this process also proves beneficial for those suffering from reproductive organ related ailments.

One of the medical conditions that a womb transplant can help is being born without a uterus. Another one is suffering from a congenital issue that requires the removal of the uterus, just like suffering from cervical cancer.

Before a uterus transplant, women should undergo IVF where their eggs will be frozen. This is due to the fact that such a procedure does not guarantee a 100 percent success rate of the donee becoming pregnant.

According to Dr. Andreas Tzakis, the surgical team head of Cleveland Clinic for the uterus transplant procedure, the transplanted uterus will only be in the body of the recipient for one or two pregnancies. Hence, they don't need to take drugs all throughout their lives in order for their bodies not to reject the organ.

A report by CNBC mentioned that it was in 2014 that the world witnessed the first birth from a womb transplant. The mother was Swedish. In the U.S., since this is still the first case of a uterus transplant, many would still wait before a similar birth will be made possible.