Yes, uterus transplants have been performed successfully in a small number of cases. Uterus transplants involve taking a uterus from a living or deceased donor and implanting it into a recipient woman who was born without a uterus or had to have it surgically removed. The goal of a uterus transplant is to allow a woman to become pregnant and give birth to a child. The first successful uterus transplant resulting in a live birth was in 2014 in Sweden. Since then, there have been a handful of successful uterus transplants and births in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere. However, uterus transplants are still considered highly experimental.
When was the first successful uterus transplant?
The first ever successful uterus transplant took place in September 2012 in Saudi Arabia. A uterus from a living donor was transplanted into a 34-year old woman who was born without a uterus. However, the transplanted uterus had to be removed after 3 months due to complications. No embryo was implanted during that time.
The first successful pregnancy and birth from a transplanted uterus took place in Sweden in 2014. A 36-year old woman who was born without a uterus received a donated uterus from a living 61-year old family friend. After the transplant, embryos created via IVF from the recipient and her partner were implanted. She later gave birth to a baby boy via caesarean section in 2014. Both the recipient and baby were healthy.
How many successful uterus transplants and births have there been?
As of 2022, there have been around 70 uterus transplants performed globally. Of these, more than 20 have resulted in live births. Most of these successful surgeries have taken place in Europe, with 10 live births from uterus transplants in Sweden, 8 in the Czech Republic, and 1 in Germany.
There have also been 5 live births from uterus transplants in the United States and single successful cases in Brazil, India, and China. Overall the success rates remain very low, with most transplants failing before or after embryo implantation. However, techniques continue to be refined.
What are the benefits of a uterus transplant?
For women born without a uterus or who lost their uterus due to medical conditions, a uterus transplant can provide the chance to experience pregnancy and birth. Being able to carry a pregnancy can be extremely important for these women’s self-image, relationships, and feeling of womanhood. Successful uterus transplants and births represent major milestones in reproductive medicine and transplant surgery. They offer hope to the estimated 1 in 500 women globally born without a uterus that they may be able to give birth.
What are the risks and challenges?
Uterus transplants involve all the risks of a major surgery for both the donor and recipient. The donor has risks from the surgical removal of the uterus while the recipient has risks from implantation surgery. Anti-rejection drugs are needed to prevent the recipient’s body from rejecting the transplanted uterus which can cause side effects. There are also risks to both the mother and fetus during pregnancy after a transplant.
The number of suitable donors is very limited. Either living donors or recently deceased donors are needed. Finding a donor that is a close match, willing, and medically suitable is extremely difficult. Even with anti-rejection drugs, there is a high chance the body rejects the transplanted uterus.
The surgeries and immunosuppression drugs are very expensive. The transplants and care cost hundreds of thousands of dollars limiting who can access this treatment. Overall success rates remain very low. Most transplant attempts fail and result in the uterus being removed within a couple years without resulting in a live birth.
Is uterine transplantation a practical treatment?
While uterus transplants have proven possible, there are still many barriers limiting them as a widespread practical treatment. The risks, low chances of success, limited availability of donors, and high costs mean uterus transplants are likely to remain very rare. They may be an option for the very small number of women who have no other way to have a child and who have access to clinical trials at specialized transplant centers. But routine, standard uterus transplants remain unlikely in the near future.
More practical options for women without a uterus to have genetically related children include gestational surrogacy, where another woman carries an embryo created from the intended mother’s egg. Continuing to improve success rates and reduce risks in uterus transplants will take more research. But for now, uterus transplantation is more a possibility than a practical solution for most women with uterine infertility.
Conclusion
Uterus transplantation has been successfully performed in a small number of cases resulting in live births. However, it remains an experimental procedure with high risks and costs. While a breakthrough for reproductive medicine, practical barriers mean uterus transplants will likely remain extremely rare. For most women without a uterus, other options like surrogacy are more feasible ways to have children. But further research on transplantation may someday make it a more widely available option.