What is a uterus transplant? | Explained Premium

Uterus transplants offer hope to women with uterine factor infertility. In the U.K., the procedure is estimated to cost GBP 25,000. In India, the first baby born after a uterus transplant was born in 2018. The procedure involves harvesting the uterus and its blood vessels from the donor, connecting the muscles, cartilage, tendons, and vessels to the recipient, and administering immunosuppressants. Success is determined in three stages, with the final stage being a successful childbirth. Bioengineered artificial uteri are being developed, but are still in early stages.

On August 23, doctors at the Churchill Hospital Oxford, in the U.K., conducted the country’s first uterus transplant. They removed the uterus from a 40-year-old woman and transplanted it to her 34-year-old sister, who had a rare condition that affected her ability to reproduce, according to the BBC. While the womb was functional, only a live birth in the near future can prove that the transplant succeeded, Isabel Quiroga, the lead surgeon involved in the procedure, has said.

Unlike heart or liver transplants, uterus transplants aren’t life-saving transplants. Instead, they are more like limb or skin transplants – which improve the quality of individuals’ lives. Uterus transplants can help women who lack a uterus fulfil their reproductive needs.

In 2014, as part of an initiative led by the chair of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the University of Gothenburg, Mats Brännström, the first live birth after a uterus transplant took place in Sweden. The success signalled that the procedure could reverse the consequences of uterine factor infertility. Nine women in Sweden received transplanted wombs donated by relatives in Dr. Brännström’s programme, according to news reports.

The doctors now aim to make the procedure more affordable. At present, the National Health Service cost of surgery in the U.K. is estimated at GBP 25,000 (Rs 25.26 lakh).

India is one of a few countries to have had a successful uterine transplant; others include Turkey, Sweden, and the U.S. India’s first uterine transplant baby was born on October 18, 2018 – 17 months after the recipient had undergone the procedure. The cost of surgery is currently Rs 15-17 lakh in India.

According to research papers published by the American Journal of Transplantation and the Journal of Clinical Medicine, before transplantation, the recipient is evaluated for good physical and mental health.

Similarly, whether the uterus is from a deceased or a live donor, it is checked for viability before it qualifies for donation. Live donors also undergo gynaecological examinations, including CT and MRI scans. They are also screened for uterine cancer, including tests for the human papillomavirus, a Papanicolaou smear, and an endometrial biopsy.