Following the breakthrough by the Cleveland Clinic announced that its team of surgeons performed the first uterus transplant in the U.S. Unfortunately, the nation's first uterus transplant failed.
Eight surgeons performed the surgery as part of a clinical study for women with uterine factor infertility. The operation lasted for nine hours as it was intended for women with uteruses that were damaged by a disease or born without one.
About a year supposedly after the surgery, the 26-year-old patient named Lindsey will have to undergo IVF since she does not have fallopian tubes. The embryos that were produced before the transplant will then be implanted one by one.
Once a pregnancy occurs, the patient will be observed in a high-risk obstetric group. The procedure is intended to produce only 1 or 2 children who will be delivered by cesarean procedures. After which, the uterus will be needed to be surgically removed.
The operation came as a result of ten years of work at the Cleveland Clinic hoping to make a breakthrough in science. Unfortunately, the transplant failed to complete its mission as the patient experienced a sudden complication that forced the removal of the transplanted uterus.
Removing the translated organ is a known risk in a solid transplantation should a complication arise. While difficult, the medical team took necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the patient.
Lindsey is currently recovering from the operation of removing the transplanted organ. No information about the complication was provided as doctors and pathologists are trying to determine what went wrong.
The patient has three adopted sons but is not giving up on the hope of experiencing a pregnancy herself one day. "I think in time, this is going to be an option for many families," Dr. Camille Hammond said, CEO of the Cade Foundation which provides support and resources to families dealing with infertility, ABC 2 News cited.
Uterus transplant has resulted in five healthy babies from nine different transplants done in Sweden. Headed by Mats Brännström, MD, Ph.D., the women in the Swedish trial recovered uteruses from living relatives of no more than 60 years old. The Cleveland trial, on the other hand, used uteruses from deceased donors, Modern Medicine Network said.
