On August 23, doctors at the Churchill Hospital Oxford, in the U.K., conducted the country’s first uterus transplant. They removed the uterus from a 40-year-old woman and transplanted it to her 34-year-old sister, who had a rare condition that affected her ability to reproduce, according to the BBC. While the womb was functional, only a live birth in the near future can prove that the transplant succeeded, Isabel Quiroga, the lead surgeon involved in the procedure, has said.
What is a uterus transplant?
Unlike heart or liver transplants, uterus transplants aren’t life-saving transplants. Instead, they are more like limb or skin transplants – which improve the quality of individuals’ lives. Uterus transplants can help women who lack a uterus fulfil their reproductive needs.
