First US Uterus Transplant

From Wikimedia Commons, accessed 5 December, 2015.

By Avi Dravid

This past week, Cleveland Clinic surgeons performed the first-ever uterus transplant in the United States. While similar procedures have been successful in Sweden, this is the first time American surgeons have been able to accomplish the same feat. The procedure took over nine hours and involved using a uterus from a deceased donor. Doctors claim that the procedure marks a new medical milestone, as women who suffer from uterine damage can now undergo transplantation and bear children of their own instead of having to adopt or use a surrogate.

In one year, the transplant patient’s uterus will fully heal and doctors will begin the process of implanting fertilized embryos. In order to make sure that her immune system does not reject the new uterus, the patient has been prescribed a regimen of anti-rejection drugs that will be taken both before and during the pregnancy. Nine other women are participating in the same trial.

Several doctors have already criticized the procedure, claiming that it wastes precious resources and opens the door to other unnecessary surgeries. Proponents of transplantation argue that the procedure avoids the legal complications of surrogacy and allows the mother to experience pregnancy for herself. As uterus transplants move past their experimental phase, more ethical concerns are likely to be raised by medical practitioners across the country.