A team of highly skilled medical practitioners have executed the first successful womb transplant in the history of the United Kingdom on the sisters.
According to BBC, the woman the womb was transplanted into had her first period two weeks after the surgery.
The transplant took place in February at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital by a team of more than 30 staff.
Despite the success, reports revealed that the womb donor had carried 2 pregnancies before; hence, the recipient had to consume immunosuppressive drugs to prevent tissue rejection.
The recipient’s sister donated her womb because she was born with a rare condition, Type 1 Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH), where the uterus is absent or underdeveloped but has functioning ovaries. Before surgery, the recipient also had fertility treatment with her husband, with eight embryos in storage.
However, the Human Tissue Authority, which ensures that human tissue is used safely and ethically and with proper consent), made sure both sisters, who are recipients and donors, underwent counselling before their case could be reviewed and approved for surgery.
The medical costs for the procedure, estimated at £25,000 (approximately N24m), were paid for by the charity Womb Transplant UK, with more than 30 staff involved on the day giving their time for free.
BBC
