Today, the Cleveland Clinic announced the successful birth of the United States’ first and the world’s second baby born to a mother with a transplanted uterus from a deceased donor. The baby girl was delivered by cesarean section in June. The mother received the transplanted uterus in 2017 and became pregnant in late 2018 through in-vitro fertilization.
In a statement from the clinic, transplant surgeon Andreas Tzakis said, “It was amazing how perfectly normal this delivery was, considering how extraordinary the occasion. Through this research, we aim to make these extraordinary events, ordinary for the women who choose this option. We are grateful to the donor and her family, their generosity allowed our patient’s dream to come true and a new baby to be born.”
Both the uterus transplant and subsequent birth are part of the Cleveland Clinic’s on-going clinical trial—Uterine Transplantation for the Treatment of Uterine Factor Infertility. According to the clinic, approximately 1 in 500 women of childbearing age are affected by uterine factor infertility.
Since the trial began in 2015, the clinic has completed five uterine transplants. Of these, three have been successful, and two of those three are awaiting embryo transfers. The clinic’s goal is to enroll ten subjects between the ages of 21 and 39 years of age to undergo deceased donor uterine transplant.