World's first babies born to women with wombs donated by their own mothers
3 Dec 2014 9:48 PM GMT
Grandmothers had hysterectomies to donate wombs to their daughters
Technology has improved the pregnancy rate by nearly 8 to 10 per cent. (Photo: AP)
Two women have made medical history by giving birth using wombs donated by their own mothers. The two new mums - both from Sweden - are the first to give birth using the wombs that brought them into the world. The pioneering procedure gives hope to 15,000 British women who can’t have children either because they were born without a womb or have had it removed.
According to DailyMail, Henrik Hagberg, a professor in foetal medicine at King’s College London, said: “It is an absolutely extraordinary gift. It is probably the best thing you can do for your daughter.” The babies were born by Caesarean section a month ago and are understood to be thriving at home with their mums, who had embryos frozen and placed into the donor womb a year after the transplant. The news came two months after Dr Mats Brannstrom, the pioneering surgeon behind the transplant procedure announced the birth of Vincent, the first baby to be born to a woman whose friend donated her womb.
The extraordinary procedure, which doctors have likened in importance to the first successful heart transplant, allows women to experience the joy of pregnancy, as well as have babies that are genetically their own. The Swedish transplant team favour organs from living donors, such as mothers who have completed their families. An organ from a living donor should be in better condition and the woman can take care of her health before removal. But the British team believe the best option is an organ from a dead donor. This would allow them to take extra tissue and the major blood vessels needed to ease the strain of pregnancy. Either way, ideally, the woman should have had children of her own – meaning her womb has been ‘road-tested’.
Dr Brannstrom was quoted saying: “In the future, it is not going to be a problem to get a donor – not like a kidney, heart or liver.” See also: Families of babies switched at birth 20 years ago to sue hospital for compensation British doctors are due to submit documents for ethics approval to carry out the first five womb transplants in the UK next year, and there are already 60 women on the waiting list. Allan Pacey, of the British Fertility Society, praised Sweden’s womb transplant programme , saying: “If it carries on like this it may have a massive impact on things like surrogacy. “Women would much prefer to have their own baby and be pregnant than watch another woman be pregnant.”
The surgery is quite straightforward for a skilled team. The biggest worry is how well the organ copes with pregnancy. The mother is likely to be at risk of extra complications on top of miscarriage or premature labour.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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