Doctors Have Performed the First Living-Donor Uterus Transplant in the U.S.

This procedure could allow women with uterine factor infertility to give birth. (Photo: Getty Images)

In early 2016, Lindsey McFarland made headlines after becoming the first American woman to receive a uterus transplant. Unfortunately, the transplant, which was from a deceased donor, failed because of a yeast infection, and doctors were forced to remove it.

Now there is a new breakthrough in the field of uterine transplants: Surgeons at Baylor University Medical Center in Texas announced Wednesday that they’ve performed the first living-donor uterus transplants in the United States.

In a statement, the center said its doctors performed four procedures between Sept. 14 and Sept. 22. It was unsuccessful for the first three patients, and the uterus had to be removed due to inadequate blood flow. However, things are looking good so far for the fourth patient, who has not been identified. “Her tests are showing good blood flow to the uterus,” the hospital said in a press release. “There are also no signs of rejection or infection at this time.”

“We are cautiously optimistic that she could ultimately become the first uterine transplant recipient in the U.S. to make it to the milestone of uterine functionality,” the press release continued.

Doctors performed the surgeries with the help of a Swedish surgical team who did the first living-donor uterus transplant in the world in 2012. In total, they’ve performed nine operations, and there have been five successful live births from the procedures. In some of those cases, the donor was a relative, CNN reports.

The women who received the transplants suffer from uterine factor infertility, a condition in which a woman has either lost her uterus, was born without a uterus, or has a uterus that doesn’t function. As a result, a woman can’t carry a pregnancy.

The procedure may become more widespread in the U.S.: Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston is also approved to do living-donor uterus transplants, according to CNN.

“It is unprecedented surgery in the United States and has a tremendous amount of potential going forward for patients with uterine factor infertility,” women’s health expert Jennifer Wider, M.D., tells Yahoo Beauty. However, she points out that the surgery is still experimental and has failed in the past. Plus, she notes, transplants come with a lot of risk.

Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron, M.D., of Fertility Centers of Illinois, calls the news “incredible,” adding, “this shows how our field is continuing to grow and evolve.” Hirshfeld-Cytron isn’t sure that uterus transplants will take off. “I do not expect this procedure to become more common in the future simply because it is helpful to a very small group of patients,” she says.

But Wider is excited to see where this will lead. “If this surgery is a success, it will be interesting to see if and how this gets integrated into infertility medicine—and if it’s an option that is opened to the masses,” she says.

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