For the first time in North America and the second time worldwide, Cleveland Clinic has announced that it has delivered a baby from a uterus that was transplanted from a deceased donor.
The transplant and birth are part of an on-going clinical trial – Uterine Transplantation for the Treatment of Uterine Factor Infertility – at Cleveland Clinic, offering hope to women worldwide who are unable to have a baby due to uterine factor infertility. An estimated 1 in 500 women of childbearing age worldwide are affected by the irreversible condition.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. Everything went wonderfully with the delivery; the mother and baby girl are doing great,” said Uma Perni, MD, Cleveland Clinic maternal fetal medicine specialist, in the statement. “It’s important to remember this is still research. The field of uterus transplantation is rapidly evolving, and it’s exciting to see what the options may be for women in the future.”
In June, the research team – comprised of specialists in transplant surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, fertility, neonatology, bioethics, psychiatry, nursing, anesthesiology, infectious disease, interventional radiology, patient advocacy and social work – welcomed a baby girl via cesarean section. The uterus, from a deceased donor, was transplanted in late 2017. In late 2018, the mother, who is in her mid-30s, became pregnant through in vitro fertilization.
Since Cleveland Clinic began the clinical trial, the team has completed five uterus transplants; three transplants were successful and two resulted in hysterectomies. Currently, two women are awaiting embryo transfers, while several more candidates are listed for transplant.
The aim is to enroll ten women between the ages of 21 and 39 years old. Unlike similar research efforts in the U.S., Cleveland Clinic’s protocol calls for the transplanted uterus to come from a deceased donor in order to eliminate risk to a healthy, living donor.
