In a historic medical milestone, surgeons at Oxford's Churchill Hospital have successfully performed the first womb transplant in the United Kingdom.
The operation carried out on two unnamed sisters aged 34 and 40, holds promise for women born without a functional uterus.
The Operation
BBC reports that the recipient, a 34-year-old woman, was born with a rare condition called Type 1 Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH), which results in the absence or underdevelopment of the uterus. Her 40-year-old sister, already a mother of two, volunteered to be the donor.
The surgical team, consisting of around 20 medical professionals, conducted the complex procedure in adjoining operating theaters. The surgery, lasting 17 hours, involved the removal of the donor's womb followed by its implantation into the recipient.
Both sisters are reported to have recovered well from the surgery. The recipient's womb is reportedly functioning normally, and she has embryos stored for future implantation.
The transplant was funded by the charity Womb Transplant UK, with costs amounting to £25,000 ($31, 564). Notably, the medical and surgical staff involved volunteered their time for the procedure.
The chair of the British Fertility Society, Dr. Raj Mathur, tells Sky News that the operation was "a remarkable achievement".
"I think it's the dawn of a new age, a new era in treating these patients," said the consultant gynecologist.
Challenges Faced by Women
While the success of the surgery is significant, challenges remain. Recipients of womb transplants typically need to take immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of the transplanted tissue.
However, these drugs come with long-term health risks. As a result, the recipient's transplanted womb will be removed after a maximum of two pregnancies.
This achievement also brings attention to the larger issue of Absolute Uterine Factor Infertility affecting more than 15,000 women of child-bearing age in the UK. Many of these women are either born without a womb or have had a hysterectomy due to various medical reasons.
The success of this procedure offers hope to those facing similar challenges and opens up new possibilities for fertility treatment. However, further funding is required to continue such procedures and help other women who are seeking similar opportunities.
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Similar Success Stories
This milestone in the UK follows similar successes in other parts of the world. In 2014, a woman in Sweden became the first to give birth after a womb transplant. Since then, over 30 womb transplants have taken place globally, leading to approximately 50 successful births.
In May, we shared a report about an IVF technique called mitochondrial donation treatment (MDT). This technique has resulted in the birth of the first baby in the UK who has DNA from three different people.
The successful womb transplant on the two unnamed sisters paves the way for advancements in the field and offers renewed hope to women aspiring to experience motherhood despite physical limitations.
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