Medical Miracle: First Womb Transplant Baby Born

Medic-ALL (07:10:2014)

The first ever baby to be born via a transplanted womb was delivered in September to a 36 year Swedish woman who was born without a womb and received a womb transplant from a friend in her early-60s. The British Medical Journal "The Lancet" reported that the baby was born prematurely last month weighing 1.8kg (3.9lb).

The woman received her womb from a 61-year-old family friend. As the recipient had intact ovaries, she was able to produce eggs, which were then fertilized using IVF prior to the transplant.

Absolute uterine factor infertility is considered the only form of female infertility which remains untreatable. This condition is often consequence of "Rokitansky syndrome" a condition in which a female is born without a uterus (womb). Cancer treatment is another scenario in which a woman can be left without a functioning womb. Adoption and surrogacy have proved the best options for such women in the past to have children. However, this news of a woman with Rokitansky syndrome giving birth to a baby following a womb transplant brings hope to women with absolute uterine factor infertility.

The researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden who performed the transplant have been investigating the viability of womb transplantation for over ten years, conducting trials on rodents and non-human primates before attempting the procedure in humans.

The Swedish couplent through sessions of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to produce 11 embryos which were frozen. Doctors at the University of Gothenburg them performed the transplant. The donor was a 61 year old family friend who had gone through menopause seven years earlier. One year following the transplant, one of the embryos was transferred into the transplanted womb and pregnancy ensued.

The baby was born prematurely after 32 weeks via caesarean section after the mother developed preeclampsia (a condition associated with raised blood pressure in pregancy) and the baby's heart rate was discovered to be abnormal. The neonate was discharged from the neonatal unit 10 days after birth and reports reveal that both the baby and mother are doing well.

The transplant team was led by Prof. Mats Brannstrom who described the birth in Sweden as "joyous". While he continues to work with other couples with similar needs, the happy Swedish couple still celebrating the birth of their "miracle baby boy" will soon have to decide if they want a second.

Medic-ALL.Inc 2014

Ref: Medical News Today
      : BBC