The First Baby Conceived Thanks To A Transplanted Uterus Of A Deceased Woman Was Born

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

In Brazil, the first baby conceived thanks to a transplanted uterus from a deceased donor has been born.

According to Brazilian doctors, the baby was conceived by a sterile woman who benefited from the donation in 2016.

The girl, who was born by caesarean section on December 15, 2017 and was born 36 weeks pregnant, was delivered last December to a 32-year-old woman. The mother used the uterus of a 45-year-old woman who had three previous children and died of a stroke, as detailed in a case report published in the Lancet medical journal on Tuesday.

The deceased donor's uterus was implanted during a 10-hour operation. After seven months, the doctors implanted an embryo made with IVF to stimulate the pregnancy.

The doctors then removed the uterus so that the mother did not have to continue with medications that relieved rejection. The healthy little girl was born weighing 5.6 pounds and almost a year later, the mother and baby are healthy.

The procedure was started by Swedish doctor Mats Brannstrom about five years ago, since then there have been several successful pregnancies with live donor transplants of the uterus. The possibility of successful pregnancies using deceased donors expands fertility possibilities.

Brazilian researchers are planning two more uterine transplants as part of the study.

"There are still many things we don't understand about pregnancies, such as how the embryos are implanted," said Dr. Cesar Díaz-García, a collaborator with Lancet. "These transplants will help us understand implantation and each stage of pregnancy."