Zach Wahls Speech: Moving the Nation in Support for Gay Marriage
Sign In >>
Lee Trask is an advocate for women dealing with issues of infertility and miscarriage. Having struggled through more than six years of infertility, three miscarriages, and high-risk pregnancy, she is now happy raising her two…
FAST FACTS
Advertisement
Do you ever wonder where the ideas come from for groundbreaking surgeries? There are skulls from Egyptian times with holes bored in them…were these the first attempts at brain surgery, and who thought it would be a good idea to drill a hole in someone’s head? Well, this past month, a groundbreaking surgery took place in the field of fertility, and it was all thanks to a question posed by a patient to her doctor.
In 1998, Dr. Mats Brannstrom had to remove the uterus of a young Australian patient to cure her of cancer. That patient asked why she couldn’t have her mother’s uterus transplanted into her body so that she could one day have children.
That set Dr. Brannstrom on a twelve year journey of research and development of a surgery that could potentially change the face of fertility for women who are unable to carry a child of their own due to damaged or missing uteri. Surgeons on Brannstrom’s team trained for years to perfect the technique of uterine transplants, and after seeing successful transplants and pregnancies in animal test subjects, Brannstrom was confident that a human transplant could produce the same success.
Two other transplants have taken place before: one in 2000 using a live transplant, but the transplant did not take, and another that used a deceased woman’s uterus, but has yet to produce a pregnancy. This month Brannstrom and his team of over ten other surgeons performed two surgeries: the first ever live mother to child donations.
The two women who received their mother’s uteri were both missing their own uteri entirely: one woman was born with out a uterus, and the other lost her uterus due to cervical cancer. Both women had her eggs harvested prior to surgery, the eggs were fertilized and the embryos frozen.
The surgeries took at Sahlgrenska Hospital, and both transplants were successful. The mothers who donated their wombs were up and about in a few days time and the daughters who received them were doing fine. Dr. Brannstrom remarked that he is very happy with the success of the surgeries themselves, but says the final mark of success will be the delivery of a healthy baby. Both women will have their embryos implanted in their “new” wombs, one year from the time of their transplant surgery.
- Lee
In 1998, Dr. Mats Brannstrom had to remove the uterus of a young Australian patient to cure her of cancer. That patient asked why she couldn’t have her mother’s uterus transplanted into her body so that she could one day have children.
That set Dr. Brannstrom on a twelve year journey of research and development of a surgery that could potentially change the face of fertility for women who are unable to carry a child of their own due to damaged or missing uteri. Surgeons on Brannstrom’s team trained for years to perfect the technique of uterine transplants, and after seeing successful transplants and pregnancies in animal test subjects, Brannstrom was confident that a human transplant could produce the same success.
Two other transplants have taken place before: one in 2000 using a live transplant, but the transplant did not take, and another that used a deceased woman’s uterus, but has yet to produce a pregnancy. This month Brannstrom and his team of over ten other surgeons performed two surgeries: the first ever live mother to child donations.
The two women who received their mother’s uteri were both missing their own uteri entirely: one woman was born with out a uterus, and the other lost her uterus due to cervical cancer. Both women had her eggs harvested prior to surgery, the eggs were fertilized and the embryos frozen.
The surgeries took at Sahlgrenska Hospital, and both transplants were successful. The mothers who donated their wombs were up and about in a few days time and the daughters who received them were doing fine. Dr. Brannstrom remarked that he is very happy with the success of the surgeries themselves, but says the final mark of success will be the delivery of a healthy baby. Both women will have their embryos implanted in their “new” wombs, one year from the time of their transplant surgery.
- Lee
RELATED FROM AROUND THE WEB
RELATED POSTS
I recently came across an article about a mother who is willing to give her womb to her daughter who was born without one. It got me wondering if I would also consider this as an alternative should it be presented to me.
Posted on 06/18/11 04:51:21 am
Previous:
Gossip is Good!
Next 
:
Women on Waves
:
Women on Waves
MORE ARTICLES
CATEGORIES:
News
CONDITIONS AND COMMUNITIES:
Cervical Cancer
•
Infertility
•
Infertility, Secondary
•
Ovarian Cancer
•
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
•
Pregnancy
•
Pregnancy - Teens
•
Pregnancy After Loss/Infertility
•
Trying To Conceive
•
Hysterectomy
MEMBER COMMENTS
TOTAL COMMENTS: 3
-
View All Comments »
Add a Comment
Displaying comments 3-1 of 3
3
I think that its amazing what can be done with regards to surgery, science and medicine - and to think that a woman could have a womb transplant is just remarkable, it opens up another door to women who struggle to conceive... I take my hat off to the woman who asked about this surgery, she is the reason that this operation exists and I also commend the surgeons who took the time to research and test the surgery - to them I say THANK YOU ! It's amazing what one question can do ...
By Shannee Nov 07, 2012
2
I haven't been this impressed with what's possible, since they made blind people able to see with their tongue.
By Icing Oct 09, 2012
1
i have always felt like I was cheated out of being able to have children I had a complete hysterectomy in my forties after suffering all my life due to contracting PID from sexual abuse as a child and being permanently scarred for life and all the trauma related issues I suffered greatly here I am at 57 now with trauma mostly resolved and now facing the losses , of the choice being taken away, WHY is it not mandatory for these people to have priority for pschycological reasons to be able to be as much a priority as a cancer survivor , If a man lost his penis there would be outrage, I am so sad about my own life, I was a retired teacher and now live alone with my dog, My best friend is an obgyn with four beautiful sons and she said if she could she would donate her womb but we are the same age , well too late for me , I hope this provokes thought, It needs to be addressed, warrior
By spirit01G Oct 08, 2012
Got a Question?
POPULAR POSTS
Posted in Physical & Emotional Abuse on Thu Nov 17
Posted in DailyStrength Members Community on Fri Oct 08
Cervical Cancer
(399 Discussion Topics)
(399 Discussion Topics)
Infertility
(23,108 Discussion Topics)
(23,108 Discussion Topics)
Infertility, Secondary
(898 Discussion Topics)
(898 Discussion Topics)
Ovarian Cancer
(693 Discussion Topics)
(693 Discussion Topics)
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
(4,764 Discussion Topics)
(4,764 Discussion Topics)
Pregnancy
(10,637 Discussion Topics)
(10,637 Discussion Topics)
Pregnancy - Teens
(1,419 Discussion Topics)
(1,419 Discussion Topics)
Pregnancy After Loss/Infertility
(7,159 Discussion Topics)
(7,159 Discussion Topics)
Trying To Conceive
(3,150 Discussion Topics)
(3,150 Discussion Topics)
Hysterectomy
(748 Discussion Topics)
(748 Discussion Topics)
