Meet the World's First Baby Born After Uterus Transplant From Deceased Donor

An infant is attracting global attention after becoming the first baby to be born via uterus transplant from a deceased donor, Reuters reports.

The healthy baby girl was delivered last December in Brazil to her mom who was born without a uterus. The woman used the womb of a 45-year-old female who had three previous children and died of a stroke, according to the case report published in the medical journal Lancet this week. The baby was delivered via c-section at 35 weeks and three days, and weighed nearly 6 lbs.

The transplant was carried out in September 2016 when the recipient was 32 years old, according to the Brazilian doctors. During the procedure, the uterus from the deceased donor was implanted during a 10-hour operation, USA Today reports. After monitoring the transplant for five months, the uterus showed no signs of rejection and the woman was experiencing a normal period cycle.

Seven months later, doctors implanted an embryo made using IVF. Just 10 days later, she was pregnant.

The results come after a handful of failed attempts using transplants from deceased donors, including procedures in the US, the Czech Republic and Turkey, Reuters says. The success story shows the procedure is possible, and could mean a larger pool of donors for women who have uterine infertility.

That said, Dani Ejzenberg, MD, one of the Brazilian doctors who led the research, says the effects of womb transplants from live and deceased donors have yet to be compared, and the technique could still be refined and optimized.

At the time the case report was submitted to Lancet, the baby girl was still breastfeeding and weighted 16 pounds, according to Reuters.

Science is truly extraordinary. Recently, a Texas couple achieved a landmark fertility first when they both successfully carried their baby during different phases of the pregnancy.

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