Father thanks to a penis transplant

21-year-old South African bears a child after a successful operation
After a young man was transplanted a penis in December 2014, this has now successfully fathered a child. According to BBC News, the man's girlfriend reported that she was four months pregnant. Doctors from the Stellenbosch University in South Africa had transplanted the organ of a deceased donor in a several-hour operation. It was the first glide penis transplant worldwide.

Man loses organ in case of failed circumcision
Only a few months ago, a medical team from Stellenbosch University (SU) in South Africa had made a medical sensation: in a nine-hour operation, they had transplanted a 21-year-old man's penis to a deceased person. The man had lost his genitals at the age of 18 in a ritual circumcision. Not an isolated case, because in South Africa alone, hundreds of young people are so badly injured in this traditional ceremony year after year that the organs have to be amputated.

Already the successful transplantation of the sexual part was a medical sensation. Now, the fertility of the patient has been confirmed. (Picture: Martin Büdenbender / pixelio.de)

But the young man was lucky, because the first penis transplant worldwide was successful. So successful that he can now even look forward to new blood. As the broadcaster "BBC" currently reports, the girlfriend is already in the fourth month pregnant. This shows that "the organ works", says the attending physician Professor André van der Merwe. "We are very pleased with the news," he continued, but it did not come as a surprise. Because it was not to be expected that the man was infertile, since only the penis, but not the testicles were affected. "That's what we intended for the penis to be able to erect, urinate and have intercourse, so it's a milestone for the patient," said the BBC surgeon .

Surgeons use similar technique to facial transplantation
In the procedure, the surgeons had used a technique similar to that used in the first full face transplant. "This procedure is another excellent example of how medical research, technical know-how and patient-centered care can be combined to help alleviate human suffering. It shows what can be achieved through effective partnerships between academic institutions and government health services, "said Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at SU, Prof. Jimmy Volmink. (No)