UK records first-ever successful womb implant surgery

The first-ever successful womb implant surgery happened at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, United Kingdom. The surgery took 9 hours and 20 minutes.

“It was incredible. I think it was probably the most stressful week in my surgical career but also unbelievably positive,” Richard Smith, the operation’s lead surgeon said in an interaction with the United Kingdom’s Press Association.

A 34-year-old woman was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH), a condition that causes the uterus to be underdeveloped or absent, even though the external genitalia are normal. Her 40-year-old sister who had already birthed 2 children offered to donate her uterus. The woman has stored her embryos with plans to undergo an in-vitro fertilisation post the operation.  

The transplant would be effective for a period of 5 years after which the uterus would be removed. The woman would also be given immunosuppressants to ensure the body does not reject the uterus. The doctors are confident that the woman would now be in a position to conceive.  The baby would be brought out from the womb through a caesarean section. On the basis of the body’s reaction to the process, a decision can be taken if the uterus could be used for the birth of a second baby.