Uterus Transplant

Uterus Transplant: First Babies Born in the United States

There are simply no words to describe the joy and amazement our team felt when the first U.S. baby  was born from a transplanted uterus right here in Dallas. We are especially honored to have played a part in such a remarkable fertility treatment milestone.

Our very own Dr. J. Michael Putman was part of the Baylor research team who facilitated the transplant and accompanied the mother every step of the way during her IVF cycle, embryo transfer and the much-celebrated birth.

And, while the team was certainly proud of their accomplishments, Baylor’s lead researcher Dr. Giuliano Testa expressed it best during an interview with TIME Magazine’s exclusive interview saying, “We do transplants all day long. This is not the same thing. I totally underestimated what this type of transplant does for these women. What I’ve learned emotionally – I don’t have words to describe.”

The majority of the 10 women involved in the trial have a rare female infertility factor called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, meaning they are born without a uterus. In the past, this meant zero chance of ever getting to be pregnant or give birth to a baby without the assistance of a surrogate. Now, as a result of the trial’s success, researchers hope uterus transplant procedures will be more widely available within the next five to ten years.

You can read a description of MRKH and get personalized insight into the lives of the woman who birthed the first baby in Scrubbing In’s article,  A Message of Hope for Those Struggling with Infertility.

TIME Magazine Celebrates the Future of Uterus Transplants

With sensitive research trials like this one, there’s a careful balance struck between celebrating successes and milestones, while protecting the privacy and sacred lives of the patients involved.

For a more complete and factual narrative of both the research trial and the story, we recommend reading TIME Magazine’s article.

NBC 5 Interviews the Generous Uterus Donor

While the bulk of the spotlights focus on the mothers and their miracle babies, as well as the Baylor research team, we feel it’s especially important to honor the generous woman who donated her uterus.

The uterus donor for Baby #1 was one of 400 women who volunteered to donate their uterus. They referred to each other as “Womb Sisters” in sporadic correspondence – although she remained anonymous until the baby was born.

You can see and hear the uterus donor speak about her experience on this Channel 5 Interview.

Baby #2 Was Born in February 2018

The second baby to be born from a transplanted uterus made her way into the world almost a year ago. While her family has also chosen to retain anonymity, she is thriving. Two successful births, less than five months apart, have continued to raise awareness and hope around this revolutionary new fertility treatment.

Click Here to read and listen to CBS coverage about the second birth.

Are You Interested in Participating in a Uterus Transplant Trial?

In fact, the trial’s continued success has opened the door for a whole new trial. As they put it, “Observations from the first phase of the trial has provided a greater understanding of transplantation and supporting medical disciplines that the second phase of the trial will build upon. Additional recipients and donors are needed.”

Contact Baylor to learn more about applying to participate in this trial. Dr. Putman and the rest of the team here at the Fertility Center of Dallas can’t wait to meet you!