Uterus transplants--update

Reproductive options continue to grow... Here's an update on transplantation of the uterus.

Uterus Transplant in Women With Absolute Uterine-Factor Infertility, by Giuliano Testa, MD, MBA1; Greg J. McKenna, MD1; Anji Wall, MD, PhD1; et alJohanna Bayer, MD1; Anthony R. Gregg, MD2; Ann Marie Warren, PhD3,4; Seung Hee S. Lee, MD1; Eric Martinez, MD1; Amar Gupta, MD1; Robert Gunby, MD2; Liza Johannesson, MD, PhD1,5, JAMA. Published online August 15, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.11679

"Assisted reproductive technologies have provided millions of women with fertility options. However, absolute uterine infertility, affecting 1 in 500 women, remains a barrier in reproductive medicine. Absolute uterine infertility can be acquired or congenital and due to either a dysfunctional or an absent uterus. Affected women who want to have children traditionally choose between adoption or surrogacy where legally available. The development of uterus transplant offers an option for women with absolute uterine infertility to experience pregnancy and childbirth. Since the first successful uterus transplant in 2011,1 more than 100 uterus transplant procedures have been performed worldwide, using grafts from living or deceased donors. Although no registry exists that precisely reports the number of live births resulting from these procedures, it is estimated that there are more than 70 live births worldwide.2,3 As of May 1, 2024, there have been 48 uterus transplants and 33 live births in the US."