First baby born after uterus transplant from dead donor
THE world’s first baby has been born via a uterus transplanted from a dead donor – giving hope to thousands of women unable to conceive.
The girl, who was born in Brazil by Caesarean section at 35 weeks and three days, weighed around 6lb.
The transplanted uterus was removed during the Caesarean section and showed no anomalies.
The recipient of the uterus was a 32-year-old woman.
She had one IVF cycle four months before the transplant, resulting in eight fertilised eggs. The 45-year-old donor had died of a stroke.
Currently, uterus donation is only available for women with family members who are willing to donate. Doctors say the new technique might give more women the option of pregnancy.
The milestone birth, which took place in September 2016, was reported in a case study published in The Lancet medical journal.
Experts say it shows that uterus transplants from dead donors are feasible and may open access for all women with uterine infertility, without the need for live donors.
But the outcomes and effects of donations from live and deceased donors are yet to be compared.
Research leader Dr Dani Ejzenberg, of Sao Paulo university in Brazil, said: “The use of deceased donors could greatly broaden access to this treatment and our results provide proof-of-concept for a new option for women with uterine infertility.
“The first uterus transplants from live donors were a medical milestone, creating the possibility of childbirth for many infertile women with access to suitable donors and the needed medical facilities.
“However, the need for a live donor is a major limitation as donors are rare, typically being willing and eligible family members or close friends.
“The number of people willing to donate organs upon their own deaths are far larger than those of live donors, offering a much wider potential donor population.”