1st Baby Born In U.S. After Uterus Transplant From Deceased Donor

CLEVELAND — For the first time in America, a baby was born from a uterus transplanted from a deceased donor. It was only the second time the medical marvel had been achieved in history.

“It was amazing how perfectly normal this delivery was, considering how extraordinary the occasion,” said Cleveland Clinic transplant surgeon Dr. Andreas Tzakis. “Through this research, we aim to make these extraordinary events, ordinary for the women who choose this option. We are grateful to the donor and her family; their generosity allowed our patient’s dream to come true and a new baby to be born.”

A research team from the Cleveland Clinic's Uterine Transplantation for the Treatment of Uterine Factor Infertility want to make June's sensational birth into a commonplace treatment. Why? Because uterine factor infertility is an incurable condition that affects one in 500 women of childbearing age. It was a condition that made it impossible for a woman in her mid-30s to get pregnant.

That woman and the Cleveland Clinic worked together to find a solution. The team of specialists working to offer the woman hope included specialists in transplant surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, fertility, neonatology, bioethics, psychiatry, nursing, anesthesiology, infectious disease, interventional radiology, patient advocacy, and social work, the Cleveland Clinic said.

In late 2017, a team of Cleveland Clinic doctors transplanted a uterus into the woman. Procuring the uterus took two hours. Implanting the uterus into the woman took another four to six hours, a Cleveland Clinic spokesperson told Patch.

The woman then, in 2018, became pregnant through in vitro fertilization. She carried the child for nine months and welcomed a baby girl into the world in June.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. Everything went wonderfully with the delivery; the mother and baby girl are doing great,” said Dr. Uma Perni, Cleveland Clinic maternal fetal medicine specialist. “It’s important to remember this is still research. The field of uterus transplantation is rapidly evolving, and it’s exciting to see what the options may be for women in the future.”

Not all of the Cleveland Clinic's uterus transplants have been successful, though. Since 2015, when the trial began, the research team has completed five transplants. Three of the transplants have been successful, but two resulted in hysterectomies.

Two women are awaiting embryo transfers, the Cleveland Clinic said, and several candidates are awaiting transplants. The research team looks for women between the ages of 21 and 39 years old.