Woman with donor uterus gets baby

Woman with donor uterus gets baby

04/10/2014

From Sweden a medical sensation is reported. A woman born without a womb has given birth to a baby after a graft transplant. It was the first time that a child was born thanks to a donor uterus. It remains unclear, however, whether the method will prove itself.

First birth after uterine transplantation
In Sweden, a woman gave birth to a son after a gum transplant. According to the doctors, it was the first time that this succeeded. The 36-year-old mother had been transplanted the organ only last year. The baby was born too early, but still healthy. Both are now home, like the „mirror“ reported. „It was a pretty tough journey“, the father told the news agency AP. „Now we have a very wonderful baby. He is very, very cute. And he does not even scream, he just grumbles.“ The baby is no different from others but will „have a good story to tell.“

Woman was born without a uterus
The parents, who want to remain anonymous, should be competitive athletes. The woman was reportedly "born without a uterus". Her ovaries were healthy. According to a report by the British „telegraph“ she got "the graft from her mother". According to other reports, "it came from a 67-year-old friend who had to take several medications and got her period six weeks after the procedure". About a year later, the physicians used the embryo, which had been produced in the laboratory using sperm and eggs from their parents. In September the baby came to world. Details on the case in the journal will be available shortly „The Lancet“ to be published.

Born by cesarean section
Research director Mats Brännström, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Gothenburg, said it was crucial that the uterus was healthy. As it is said, he still can not quite grasp that it actually succeeded. There were three mild rejection reactions in the mother's body throughout the pregnancy, all of which could be treated. The fetus developed normally until the 31st week of pregnancy, but then the doctors had to get the baby by caesarean section because the mother's blood pressure was too high and the child's heart beating too fast.

Already several transplant in different countries
Brännström's team has spent a total of nine women's uteruses in the past two years. Two of the organs had to be removed after complications. The other seven women were embryos. Two of them should also be pregnant. There have also been similar attempts in other countries. For example, in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, where no children were born. In other nations, such as the UK, France or Japan, medics also prepare uterine transplants. It is unclear whether the method is proven. As several doctors and scientists told AP, one must first observe the safety. In addition, the way was difficult.

Possible new alternative for women without uterus
As reported months ago, the transplants that have taken place in Sweden as a result of the medication may cause high blood pressure, swelling, diabetes or an increased risk of cancer, so that the organs should be retrieved after two pregnancies at the latest. Some experts believe that the Swedish initiative opens a new but still very experimental alternative for women who have lost their wombs due to cancer. Others have questioned whether a fetus could be nourished in a transplanted uterus before announcing the success of the Scandinavians. In addition, the high costs were criticized. (Ad)