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Irish Wedding News

06/10/2014

First Baby Born By Womb Transplant

A woman in Sweden has given birth to a baby boy using a transplanted womb.

It is the first such birth in the world.

According to British medical journal The Lancet, the boy was born prematurely last month, weighing just 3.9lbs. The couple have not been identified, but it is understood the mother, aged 36, was born without a uterus but still had functioning ovaries; she had received a donated womb from a friend.

The couple are thought to have undergone IVF treatment to produce 11 embryos, which were then frozen. A womb transplant was carried out by doctors at the University of Gothenburg. The donor was a family friend, aged 61, and who had gone through the menopause seven years previously.

In order to prevent the womb from being rejected by the younger woman, drugs were administered to suppress the immune system. A year later, doctors felt it was the right time to implant one of the couple's frozen embryos. It was successful, and almost 32 weeks into the pregnancy, the couple welcomed their son. He was born prematurely after the mother developed pre-eclampsia and the baby's heart rate became abnormal.

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Both mother and baby are now said to be doing well.

The baby's father, in an anonymous interview with the AP news agency, is quoted as saying: "It was a pretty tough journey over the years, but we now have the most amazing baby. He's no different from any other child, but he will have a good story to tell."

Professor Mats Brannstrom, who led the transplant team, commented: "That was a fantastic happiness for me and the whole team, but it was an unreal sensation also because we really could not believe we had reached this moment.

"It gives us scientific evidence that the concept of uterus transplantation can be used to treat uterine factor infertility, which up to now has remained the last untreatable form of female infertility. It also shows that transplants with a live donor are possible, including if the donor is past menopause."

Despite the success of the procedure, there are still concerns regarding the safety and effectiveness of such treatment. For example, the drugs used to prevent the transplanted womb from being rejected can be damaging in the long-term.

Another eight couples with a similar position are currently working with Dr Brannstrom and his team. These results will help to give a clearer picture of whether the technique can be used more widely.

(JP/CD)

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"A woman in Sweden has given birth to a baby boy using a transplanted womb."