Within the next few months, surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic expect to
become the first in the United States to transplant a uterus into a
woman who lacks one, so that she can become pregnant and give birth. The
recipients will be women who were either born without a uterus, had it
removed or have uterine damage. The transplants will be temporary: each
uterus will be removed after the recipient has had one or two babies, so
she can stop taking transplant anti-rejection drugs.
Uterine transplantation is a new frontier, one that pairs specialists from two fields known for innovation and for pushing limits, medically and ethically: reproductive medicine and transplant surgery. If the procedure works, many women could benefit: an estimated 50,000 women in the United States do not have a uterus. But there are potential dangers.
Uterine transplantation is a new frontier, one that pairs specialists from two fields known for innovation and for pushing limits, medically and ethically: reproductive medicine and transplant surgery. If the procedure works, many women could benefit: an estimated 50,000 women in the United States do not have a uterus. But there are potential dangers.
