First ever uterus transplant from a dead donor successful as recipient gives birth

The first ever successful birth of a baby from transplanted uterus of a dead donor has been reported by scientists in Brazil.

The recipient was a 32-year-old woman who was born without a uterus as a result of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, while the donor was a 42-year-old woman who died from stroke.

Months before the transplant was carried out, the recipient went through an IVF procedure and had 8 fertilized eggs frozen.

The uterus transplant took about 10 hours to complete and the recipient showed no sign of organ rejection, she also experienced her regular menstrual flow after five months of the transplant. 

Seven months after the intensive surgery, the fertilized eggs were implanted and a healthy pregnancy proceeded. The healhy baby was born at 35 weeks through cesarean section and weighed 2.5 kg. The donated uterus was also removed during the cesarean section.

Until now, getting uterus donations has been limited to donations from volunteers and only 39 transplants have been conducted worldwide.

The breakthrough may open the way for many more women with infertility issues.

This case study of successful transplant and birth was published in the journal "The Lancet".