For many women, the thought of not being able to give birth to your own child – for any reason – can be devastating. There is hope though, for two women in Sweden who have undergone uterus transplants.
The women, who wish to remain anonymous, have different medical backgrounds. The first had her uterus removed after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and the second was born without a uterus. Both women, however, received their transplanted uterus’ from their mothers. Although the surgery went smoothly and all four women are recovering well, doctors are hesitant to call it a “real success” until a baby has been born.
The surgeries were performed over the weekend and required the assistance of more than 10 surgeons from Sweden’s University of Gothenburg. According to the doctors, both women started their fertility treatments before the surgery, and both have frozen embryos waiting to be implanted. Once the women have fully recovered from the uterus surgery, doctors will continue with the next stage of their pregnancies – and hope babies are on the cards for both of the women.
It should be noted that this isn’t first successful attempt at transplanting a uterus. The first attempt was performed in 2002 in Saudi Arabia, however unfortunately the organ had to be removed 3 months later, due to a blood clot.
To find out more about this ground-breaking surgery, visit BBC.co.uk