Doctors UZ Gent transplanting for the first time in Belgium ‘gelegenheidsbaarmoeder’ in young woman

Medical Doctors of the university hospital of Ghent, Belgium for the first time with a uterus transplanted, so that a woman can become pregnant. The surgery, which is worldwide still but nine times out went smoothly, and the woman does, reports the hospital today.

Ghent university hospital removed a brain-dead patient the uterus, when a young woman with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome in plants. That is a genetic condition in which women do not have a vagina and an underdeveloped uterus. In Belgium, an annual average of 15 females with the disorder is born. Especially that second element can now be treated. Thanks to the transplant, the patient can still get pregnant, although the procedure is not permanent.

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The operation went without complications and the artsenteam will now in medication administration for disposal. That is important, because the uterus by the new body can be disposed of. The doctors therefore need medication, but that is not optimal and long-term toxic. If the uterus through the body of the patient is accepted, then it will be over a year to get pregnant of her own child by IVF. Then the uterus back removed and the medication needed to suppress the immune system stopped.

Procedure

In 2016, the UZ Ghent, the search for a suitable patient. It's going to be a young woman whose identity is not known. “If wensouders considered for a baarmoedertransplantatie have selected, following a thorough medical and psychological screening,” says professor Steven Weyers, gynecologist and head of the women's Clinic. “The woman is eligible, then we start our first ivf procedure. As soon as we have enough healthy embryos to have, we can proceed to transplant.”

Also rare is the choice for a deceased donor. In Sweden, where the procedure nine times is applied and the most of the expertise is present, the time for a living donor. “For the moment we will only deceased donors, because a uterus from a living donor remove more risks,” says Weyers.