The first womb transplant in the UK was completed by surgeons, heralding a new era in childbirth.
According to doctors at the Oxford Transplant Centre, a 34-year-old woman who has two children of her own received a womb from her 40-year-old sister.
After the nine-hour procedure, the recipient was “incredibly happy” and “over the moon,” according to Isabel Quiroga, a consultant surgeon at the Oxford Transplant Centre, who spoke to The Guardian.
The married woman intends to use IVF to try for two children using the five frozen embryos.
Her womb was underdeveloped due to a rare condition she had at birth. The surgery’s approximate $32,000 price was covered by contributions to Womb Transplant UK.
More than 90 womb transplants have been performed in a variety of nations, including Sweden, the US, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, Czech Republic, Brazil, Germany, Serbia, and India. However, this is the first womb transplant to take place in the UK.
About 50 babies have been born as a result of the procedures, the majority of which involved living donors.
A 36-year-old woman gave birth to a boy named Vincent in Sweden in 2014 after the first successful womb transplant.
Quiroga, who co-led the surgery in the UK, said the patient was “thrilled” and “extremely proud” the procedure had been successful.
10 days later, she was discharged from the hospital.
She was “absolutely over the moon,” Quiroga said. “She was very happy and is hoping she can go on to have not one, but two babies.”.
We are closely observing her development and her womb is operating perfectly. “.
It was a “massive success,” according to co-lead surgeon Richard Smith. “.
The medical staff and the patient were nearly “in tears” during the post-operative consultation, he told The Guardian, adding that it was incredible.
It was, in my opinion, the most trying but also incredibly rewarding week of my surgical career. The donor and recipient are ecstatic, almost ecstatic. “.
He continued, “I’m just really happy that we have a donor who is completely back to normal after her major surgery, and the recipient is, after her major surgery, doing really well on her immunosuppressive therapy and looking forward to hopefully having a baby. “.
