A 34-year-old woman, who was born without a uterus, has received a donation from her 40-year-old sister, who had already birthed two children.
The operation, which was described as a “massive success” by Professor Richard Smith, one of two lead surgeons, was carried out one Sunday in early February at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital by a team of more than 30 staff.
Six months after the surgery, the recipient is reportedly having her monthly periods and is preparing to eventually have her own embryos implanted, already created via IVF with her own eggs.
The operation to remove the donor’s womb lasted more than eight hours while the transplant was completed nine hours and 20 minutes later.
According to Sky news, the surgery was funded by Womb Transplant UK at a cost of £25,000, which included paying the NHS for theatre time and the patients’ hospital stay.