World's First Baby Born After Uterus Transplantation

It's a huge step forward when it comes to fertility treatments. A woman who underwent uterus transplantation just delivered a healthy and normally developed baby boy. It's a first when it comes to enabling women who were born without a womb or who have lost their wombs in cancer surgery to give birth to their own children.

The successful birth is due in part to the Gothenburg project. Nine women in the project received a womb from live donors-in most cases, the recipient's mother, but also other family members and close friends. The transplanted uterus was removed in two cases due to complications, but the other seven remained.

Since 2014, these seven women have tried to become pregnant through a process where their own embryos, produced through IVF, were reintroduced to the transplanted uterus. Now, it seems that at least one was successful. In early September, the woman successfully delivered a baby by caesarean section, making her the first woman to deliver a child from a transplanted uterus.

"The baby screamed right away and has not required any other care than normal clinical observation at the neonatal unit," said Mats Brannstrom, lead researcher of the project, in a news release. "The mother and child are both doing well and have returned home. The new parents are of course very happy and thankful.

That said there were a few complications, though they were minor.

"The reason for the woman's preeclampsia is unknown, but it may be due to her immunosuppressive treatment combined with the fact that she is missing one kidney," said Brannstrom. "The age of the donated womb may also be a factor. Also, preeclampsia is generally more common among women who have become pregnant through IVF treatment."

Currently, several research teams around the world are awaiting the results of the Gothenburg study in order to launch similar observational studies. Right now, pregnancy attempts are ongoing with the six other women involved in the project.

"It gives us scientific evidence that the concept of uterus transplantation can be used to treat uterine factor infertility, which up to now has remained the last untreatable form of female infertility," said Brannstrom. "It also shows that transplants with a live donor are possible, including if the donor is past menopause."

The findings are published in the journal The Lancet.