Uterus transplants can lead to successful births, but they come with risks

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-08-16 01:00

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A uterus transplant can help women without a functioning uterus to give birth, but the process comes with risks, according to international researchers. The team followed the outcomes of 20 women in the US with uterus-related infertility who had a uterus transplant from a donor. They say 14 of the women had a successful transplant, and all 14 of those who were successful went on to birth at least one baby. 11 of the women experienced at least one complication with their transplant, and half the successful pregnancies involved some sort of health complication including high blood pressure, cervical insufficiency and preterm labour. The children born from these pregnancies have not yet had any growth or development problems, the researchers add. They say while this is a small study, it shows uterus transplants are feasible and if successful have a high likelihood of leading to a successful birth, however some health risks are common for recipients and likely donors as well.