The Cleveland Clinic will become the first U.S. medical facility to do a uterus transplant, bringing hope to women with infertility associated with uterine problems. The procedure already has been performed successfully in Sweden and resulted in several births.
In September 2014, a
coalition of hospitals and universities in Sweden working on the research project announced the first birth from a woman with a transplanted uterus. To date, the nine uterus transplants have yielded five pregnancies and four live births, said a
Cleveland Clinic release.
The Cleveland Clinic is approaching the procedure as part of a research project that is "highly experimental," with the goal of transplanting uteri into 10 healthy women, the clinic's website said.
"Pregnancy is often one of a woman’s most cherished memories. For women with uterine factor infertility (UFI), however, pregnancy is not an option. They cannot carry a pregnancy because they were born without a uterus, have lost their uterus, or have a uterus that no longer functions," said the clinic.
It is unclear how many women worldwide can't have children because of uterus problems, but estimates say thousands of women are affected.
The Cleveland Clinic said a uterus transplant is different than other transplants in that it isn't expected to last the lifetime of the recipient. It is considered "life-enhancing" rather than "lifesaving," according to lead investigator Andreas Tzakis, M.D.
"They are not intended to last for the duration of the recipient’s life, but will be maintained for only as long as is necessary to produce one or two children," he said.
"I crave that experience," a 26-year-old woman chosen by the clinic for the uterine transplant told
The New York Times. "I want the morning sickness, the backaches, the feet swelling. I want to feel the baby move. That is something I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember."
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