First Baby Born in US From Woman With Uterus Transplant in Texas

First Baby Born in US From Woman With Uterus Transplant in Texas
(Pixabay/Christina Bella)
Bowen Xiao
12/3/2017
Updated:
12/3/2017

In the first case ever for the United States, a woman who had a uterus transplant has given birth in Texas.

The woman, who had been born without a uterus—gave birth to the baby boy last month at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She received a transplant from the center, according to a video posted by the hospital.

Craig Civale, a hospital spokesman confirmed on Friday, Dec. 1 that the birth was successful but gave no other details. The families identity was not revealed due to privacy reasons, according to the New York Times.
The birth is a first for the United States. A few years ago one was achieved in Sweden, according to CBS News.
“This first live birth to a uterus transplant recipient in the United States was a milestone in our work to solve absolute uterine factor infertility; but, more importantly, a beautiful moment of love and hope for a mother who had been told she would never be able to carry her own child” said Dr. Giuliano Testa, the principal investigator of the clinical trial.
In Sweden, eight other babies have been successfully born to women who had uterus transplants at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg.

The New York Times reports that an estimated 50,000 women are born without a uterus or who had to get it removed due to cancer or other complications.

The transplants are supposed to be temporary only, placed for enough time for the woman to have one or two children before removal. The time is limited since the woman will have to take immune-suppressing drugs to prevent organ rejection.

Penn Medicine in Philadelphia announced last month that they would also start to offer womb transplants, CBS News reported.

Baylor hospital had a study running for years to enroll up to ten women for uterus transplants. In 2015 the hospital said that four women had received the transplant, but three of the wombs had to be removed due to poor blood flow.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine issued a statement Friday calling the Dallas birth “another important milestone in the history of reproductive medicine.”

For women born without a functioning uterus, “transplantation represents the only way they can carry a pregnancy,” the statement said. The group is convening experts to develop guidelines for programs that want to offer this service.

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From NTD.tv
Bowen Xiao was a New York-based reporter at The Epoch Times. He covers national security, human trafficking and U.S. politics.
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