The first child birth from a uterus transplant outside of a clinical trial took place in Alabama this year, bringing a baby boy to a mother who could not give birth naturally.
The woman gave birth in May through uterus transplantation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham hospital, according to a press release.
‘Miracle baby’:Woman born without a uterus gives births after transplant. Now she offers hope
The woman who made medical history, whose first name is Mallory, learned as a teenager that she was born without a uterus due to a condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, according to the statement. Unable to biologically carry a child, medicine did not stop her from becoming a mother.
“I had come to terms with knowing that, okay, I won’t be able to carry my own children; but for me, it always felt like something that was lacking,” Mallory said in the statement.
Dr. Paige Porrett, director for Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation in UAB’s Comprehensive Transplant Institute, called the delivery an incredible milestone for both the patient, the medical field and the for the UAB team. In the press release, she said the achievement will further allow a new option for patients facing infertility due to their uterus.
“At UAB, we’re committed to bringing this emerging therapy forward to patients in need, making it as accessible, safe and simple as possible for women who have never had an option to bear their own biological child,” Porrett said in the statement.
Three other uterus transplants have taken place in U.S., according to UAB, each through a clinical research trial.
Around the world, 5% of reproductive age women grapple with uterine factor infertility, the hospital added in the statement. Uterine factor infertility can occur when someone is born without a uterus or when their uteritis is surgically removed during a hysterectomy.
“Uterus transplant is another way that UAB is making a contribution here for patients who have longed for more options to building a family,” Porrett said. “Uterus transplantation is the only medical treatment for uterine factor infertility, and despite the safety and efficacy of this treatment, it is largely inaccessible to patients around the world.”
