A 40-year-old woman donated her womb to her 34-year-old sister, in UK's first womb transplant. The surgery took place in Oxfordshire, lasted for about 17 hours and was carried out by a team of 20 in adjoining operating theatres at the Churchill Hospital in February.
According to the doctors, both women, who wish to remain anonymous, have recovered well from the surgery. The recipient of the womb plans to undergo IVF and use the embryos she and her husband have in storage.
"She was absolutely over the moon, very happy, and is hoping that she can go on to have not one but two babies. Her womb is functioning perfectly and we are monitoring her progress very closely," Transplant surgeon Isabel Quiroga told BBC regarding the recipient.
The recipient was born with a rare condition, where Type 1 Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) where the uterus is absent or underdeveloped, but has functioning ovaries. It is a rare condition that affects one in 5,000 women.
The uterus will be removed after a maximum of two pregnancies as the immunosuppressive drugs to prevent tissue rejection carry long-term health risks.
The costs for the procedure were borne by the charity Womb Transplant UK. Surgeons in the UK had permission to perform womb transplants since 2015.
