Drugs/Therapy

First Uterus Transplant Performed In Cleveland

By Jenn Loro | Update Date: Feb 27, 2016 08:09 PM EST

Cleveland Clinic has just confirmed the first successful uterine transplant in the United States giving hope to women without a healthy womb to have a baby. The breakthrough also opens new option for childless couples to become a parent other than surrogacy or adoption.

"This procedure potentially offers another route to family building for women either born without uteri or those who have had to have their uterus removed," said Dr. Owen Davis, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine as quoted by NBC News.

According to a report by New York Times, the transplant is only temporary and the uterus will be surgically removed after the 26-year-old recipient has had already given birth. The patient also needs to wait for a year, at least, to get pregnant so she'll have adequate time to heal while receiving anti-organ rejection medication.

The first uterine transplant had taken place in Sweden in 2014. Since then, three more babies have been born to mothers who went through the surgery in the Scandinavian nation.

However, not everyone seems enthused by Cleveland Clinic's recent breakthrough. Others question the viability of making uterine transplant a standard procedure when other options like surrogacy is readily available.

But advocates of uterine transplant responded that surrogacy process is laden with numerous legal complications across the United States. In some countries, the procedure is either extremely restricted or simply banned.

"In the U.S., the surrogacy process can be legally complicated. In many other countries, surrogacy is highly restricted or even banned," remarked Cleveland Clinic according to a report by NPR.

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