Womb Transplants Could Offer Hope To Thousands Of Infertile Women

How Womb Transplants Could Help Thousands Of Women
|

Last week, a woman in Sweden gave birth to a baby boy using a transplanted womb. Now, two more women are expected to give birth by the end of the year after having the ground-breaking procedure.

The first baby, Vincent, was born to an anonymous 36-year-old woman who was born without a womb. The woman received a donated womb from a friend in her 60s who had gone through menopause seven years earlier.

Around 5,000 girls are born without a womb in the UK each year, so the revolutionary procedure could give hope to thousands of women who are currently unable to have children.

Open Image Modal

Doctors preparing to perform a womb transplant at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden

The Swedish woman was part of a clinical trial of nine women having womb transplants - two of whom are now more than 28 weeks pregnant.

The women all conceived through IVF, as their surgery means it is impossible for them to conceive naturally.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the Swedish mother said: "I was terribly sad when doctors told me I would never carry my own child."

Dr Mats Brannstrom, from the University of Gothenburg who led the transplant team, said womb transplants could be offered to a range of women, including those who have suffered repeated miscarriages or those who have lost their womb due to cancer.

"Certainly the indications for this surgery could be wider. I have had emails from ladies with all these conditions from all over the world," Dr Brannstrom told the Telegraph.

"Some are telling me their stories, some also want to donate. These women have usually had two or three children and are going for sterilisation and ask if they can donate their uterus.

"In the future it is not going to be a problem to get a donor, not like a kidney, heart or liver. It is a sisterhood thing. Women are saying that they have had their children and why shouldn't they help another women to have the same joy?"

Dr Allan Pacey, the chairman of the British Fertility Society, told the BBC: "I think it is brilliant and revolutionary and opens the door to many infertile women.

"The scale of it feels a bit like IVF. It feels like a step change. The question is can it be done repeatedly, reliably and safely."

IVF Treatment
Three-Parent Babies: Controversial IVF Procedure To Defeat Genetic Diseases One Step Closer To Being Legalised(01 of09)
Open Image Modal
Creating babies with three genetic parents via IVF in order to defeat inherited diseases has the broad support of the British public, according to a consultation into the controversial procedure. READ MORE. (credit:Alamy)
Women Over 40 Should Be Offered IVF On The NHS, Board Suggests(02 of09)
Open Image Modal
Women aged 40-42 who are having fertility problems should be offered IVF on the NHS, according to guidelines published on Wednesday by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice). READ MORE. (credit:Alamy)
Womb Transplant Woman Could Conceive In 2013(03 of09)
Open Image Modal
British women born without a womb will be given fresh hope this year when scientists attempt to help the woman who had the world's first successful womb transplant to conceive a baby. READ MORE. (credit:AP)
Denise Welch, Loose Women Presenter, Desperate For A Baby With Lincoln Townley(04 of09)
Open Image Modal
Denise Welch is hoping that by undergoing IVF treatment she will be able to have a baby with her new partner - at the age of 54. READ MORE. (credit:Alamy)
NHS Fife Denies IVF To Smokers And Overweight Women(05 of09)
Open Image Modal
The decision of an NHS board in Scotland to deny IVF to smokers has been labelled as “scandalous” by a infertility charity. READ MORE. (credit:Alamy)
Challenge To Landmark Ruling On Sex Offender's Right To IVF (POLL)(06 of09)
Open Image Modal
Should a woman be allowed to undergo IVF, if her partner has been convicted of a sexual offence? According to a patient review panel in Australia, who are challenging a landmark ruling to allow a convicted sex offender's wife to undergo fertility treatment, the answer should be No. READ MORE. (credit:Shutterstock)
Mediterranean Diet Triples Chances Of IVF Success(07 of09)
Open Image Modal
Women who cut back on their saturated fat intake may have a better chance of having a baby via IVF, suggest researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health. READ MORE. (credit:Alamy)
Five Million IVF Babies Born Since 1978(08 of09)
Open Image Modal
Five million IVF babies have been born since the era of assisted reproduction dawned in 1978, it has been calculated. Experts based the estimate on worldwide figures for In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment cycles up to 2008. READ MORE. (credit:Alamy)
Lesley Brown Dead: First Woman To Give Birth To IVF Baby Dies At 64(09 of09)
Open Image Modal
The woman who gave birth to the world's first test tube baby has died. Lesley Brown, who lived in Whitchurch, Bristol, made history in July 1978 when her daughter, Louise, was born in Oldham General Hospital. READ MORE. (credit:PA)