Uterus transplantation as a solution to infertility

Uterus transplants have already been performed around the world on women without a functional uterus due to congenital or other diseases. These procedures have resulted in the birth of around fifty babies.

For the first time in England, a woman suffering from 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫-𝐑𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐲-𝐊𝐮̈𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐇𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 (𝐌𝐑𝐊𝐇) 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞, causing 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐬 and upper two-thirds of the vagina, has benefited from 𝐚 𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 from her living sister. The procedure involves a major operation lasting around 10 hours, around ten days' hospitalization and considerable recovery time for both recipient and donor. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧, 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭, so that the patient can stop taking immunosuppressive drugs.

However, like all surgery, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬. Hysterectomy can cause pain, bleeding, tissue adhesion problems or weakness of the muscles and ligaments supporting abdominal organs such as the bladder. 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 to reduce the risk of depression. Soon, 𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, just like in vitro fertilization.

Despite this major medical breakthrough and the exceptional opportunity it offers these women to give birth to their own children, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐥. Other options, such as 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲, should not be devalued.