Cleveland Clinic Does First US Uterine Transplant

A 26-year old woman treated at Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH received a donor uterus Feb. 24, the hospital announced today.

The successful procedure took 9 hours (photo) and was done by a team of specialists. The patient was in stable condition.

According to a clinical trial protocol registered at ClinicalTrials.gov the surgery is part of a study “Uterine Transplantation for the Treatment of Uterine Factor Infertility."

The hospital said the woman was the first patient to receive the donor uterus, given by a deceased organ donor.

The goal of the study is to achieve a successful live birth within two years of transplantation, a pregnancy achieved by in-vitro fertilization.

The study started in October, 2015 and is due to run through October 2021.

In a statement, the hospital said the research team is comprised of transplant specialists, obstetricians and gynecologist as well as bioethicists, psychiatrists, nurses and social workers.

According to the study design, ten patients with uterine infertility will be selected as recipients.

Information about Cleveland Clinic’s uterine transplant program is available here.

The hospital said it would release more details on the patient and the historic surgery at a news conference in coming days.