Uterus transplantation is not science fiction and for now it works!

Every year in France about a hundred girls are born without a uterus. Thousands more will need a hysterectomy in their lifetime. Until recently, women without a uterus who wished to become mothers had to weep while carrying their baby.

However, in 2019, a French prima donna was able to benefit from an experimental uterus transplant that allowed her to give birth two years later. She is currently expecting her second child and two other candidates have since been selected for these French clinical trials.

The uterus transplant: from the crazy idea to the practice

In France, approx 4,500 women suffer from Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, MRKH. If they ovulate normally, people born with this congenital syndrome do not have a uterus and may have vaginal anatomical abnormalities.

MRKH syndrome is not solely responsible for the absence of a uterus as some patients are as well forced to undergo a hysterectomy for medical reasons. Without a uterus they cannot carry a pregnancy to term and those who wish to become mothers have to resort to adoption or surrogacy in other countries.

Pioneer of uterine transplantation, Swedish gynecologist and oncological surgeon Mats Brännström got the idea from a patient 25 years ago. Years of research followed, which finally allowed him in 2012 to transplant eight patients. The process is a success for six of them and once their uterus is well implantedit is therefore “sufficient” to carry out in vitro fertilization.

These obstetrical advances have attracted the attention of many countries and currently, 90 women around the world would have benefited from a transplantfor about fifty births.

Very promising clinical studies

If these results are promising and could revolutionize obstetric medicine, these transplants are only in the clinical trials stage. Dozens of women have expressed their desire to participate in these tests, but the selection criteria are strict and only three of them have already been selected in France.

They had to be between the ages of 25 and 38, be in excellent health and “easily” have a compatible organ. To maximize your chances of success, the uterus can be taken from a living donor such as a mother or sister, as long as she is in good health and over the age of 40.

Between 2016 and 2021, three American mothers transplanted 31 women before publishing their observations last July: among the patients, 23 women tolerated the transplant and 19 of them gave birth, an 83% success rate. Note: In addition to their absence of a uterus, these women were particularly selected for their good fertility.

In France, clinical trials currently underway at the Foch hospital will allow a third patient to benefit from a transplant within months. If these studies are conclusive and ethically acceptable, uterine transplantation could become a medical procedure almost like any other.

Photo credit image of one: RossHelen

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