First Penis Transplant Recipient Is Now Going To Be A Dad

The first recipient to successfully receive a penis transplant is going to be a father.

The 21-year-old South African man lost the majority of his penis due to an accident during circumcision, a coming-of-age procedure that's traditional for many young men in South Africa. Dr. Andre van der Merwe of Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa, has now received information from his former patient that his girlfriend is four-months pregnant.

"It helps a community of men," Van der Merwe said, via CBS News. "These men have lost their penises in traditional circumcision. Nobody talks about them, they're ostracized, they're stigmatized and this is good news for them."

It was just in March that doctors announced that the surgery had been successful, as the transplant restored the man's ability to properly urinate and reproduce. The surgery was performed at the Tygerberg Hospital by a team from Stellenbosch University, encompassing a grueling nine-hour operation in December to replace it.

This is not the first penis transplant. However, it is certainly the first successful case. A man in China received a transplant in 2006 that resulted in a severe psychological reaction in which he then requested to have it removed, according to The Guardian.

The Cape Town patient is still under observation at this time, with future operations planned for mid-August if any improvements are required.

Health officials believe that besides circumcision accidents, penis transplants could also potentially be useful for patients who have suffered from certain types of penile cancer.

Related Articles

15,000 Penises Measured: Here's What Scientists Found Is The Normal Size

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).