The first cry of joy
An early September night in 2014, together with the rest of the team
behind the Swedish uterus transplant trial, the Dr. prepared for a landmark
delivery. The birth of a baby that would transform both the fields of
reproductive and transplantation medicine. This was the groundbreaking
finale—a culmination of a ten-year journey and preparatory work in
different animal models.
The mother-to-be had, a year and a half earlier, received a donated uterus from a family friend. A friend who, at the time of the uterus donation, had been postmenopausal for ten years. The mother-to-be was born without a uterus because of a condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. As a teenager, she was told by her doctors that she would never be able to carry her own pregnancy and give birth to a child.
That September night we were to prove this previous statement wrong. Her pregnancy had been without any complications until she developed signs of preeclampsia in the 31st week of pregnancy. As this was the first successful pregnancy, the team didn’t dare to wait, and we decided to deliver the baby boy prematurely. It was completely silent in the operating room until the most beautiful cry filled the room. There was awe, relief and joy. We knew at that time that we created hope for millions of women in the world affected by uterine factor infertility, a new hope to be able to give birth.
Since that first birth in 2014, at least 12 more babies around the world have been born to mothers following uterine transplantation. I have been fortunate to be the only doctor in the world to be involved with not only the first uterus transplant centre that delivered a baby, but also the second one. At another medical centre, the team was successful in replicating the successes of my former Swedish team when we, in 2017, delivered the first baby after uterus transplant in the US and outside of the Swedish trial.
To work as a uterus transplant surgeon means facing novel medical and surgical questions. It means balancing a field that is an intersect between transplantation, gynaecology, reproductive medicine, pathology, radiology and new ethical challenges. Since the onset of the first uterus transplant trial, the discussions in the medical community have morphed from questioning the need for uterus transplantation and its possibility to improving the procedure and outcome, and finally to discussions of financing, organ allocation and clinical implications. Always keeping the Hippocratic oath close to heart and remembering that 'Primum non nocere' (first, to do no harm) in this procedure is applicable to both donor and recipient.
A uterus transplantation is not a lifesaving or even life-prolonging procedure. Nonetheless, by restoring a bodily function lost or missing, it is instead a thoroughly life promoting procedure—creating life where none could grow before.
I believe that this truly beautiful procedure will now bring joy in India for many mothers-to-be, and I congratulate the team for their achievement.
ps- as told by the Dr. who was involved in both the 1st and the 2nd uterus transplant successfully and delivery of the baby.
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG- https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/ FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG- https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/ FOR CROCHET DESIGNS https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com
The mother-to-be had, a year and a half earlier, received a donated uterus from a family friend. A friend who, at the time of the uterus donation, had been postmenopausal for ten years. The mother-to-be was born without a uterus because of a condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. As a teenager, she was told by her doctors that she would never be able to carry her own pregnancy and give birth to a child.
That September night we were to prove this previous statement wrong. Her pregnancy had been without any complications until she developed signs of preeclampsia in the 31st week of pregnancy. As this was the first successful pregnancy, the team didn’t dare to wait, and we decided to deliver the baby boy prematurely. It was completely silent in the operating room until the most beautiful cry filled the room. There was awe, relief and joy. We knew at that time that we created hope for millions of women in the world affected by uterine factor infertility, a new hope to be able to give birth.
Since that first birth in 2014, at least 12 more babies around the world have been born to mothers following uterine transplantation. I have been fortunate to be the only doctor in the world to be involved with not only the first uterus transplant centre that delivered a baby, but also the second one. At another medical centre, the team was successful in replicating the successes of my former Swedish team when we, in 2017, delivered the first baby after uterus transplant in the US and outside of the Swedish trial.
To work as a uterus transplant surgeon means facing novel medical and surgical questions. It means balancing a field that is an intersect between transplantation, gynaecology, reproductive medicine, pathology, radiology and new ethical challenges. Since the onset of the first uterus transplant trial, the discussions in the medical community have morphed from questioning the need for uterus transplantation and its possibility to improving the procedure and outcome, and finally to discussions of financing, organ allocation and clinical implications. Always keeping the Hippocratic oath close to heart and remembering that 'Primum non nocere' (first, to do no harm) in this procedure is applicable to both donor and recipient.
A uterus transplantation is not a lifesaving or even life-prolonging procedure. Nonetheless, by restoring a bodily function lost or missing, it is instead a thoroughly life promoting procedure—creating life where none could grow before.
I believe that this truly beautiful procedure will now bring joy in India for many mothers-to-be, and I congratulate the team for their achievement.
ps- as told by the Dr. who was involved in both the 1st and the 2nd uterus transplant successfully and delivery of the baby.
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG- https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/ FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG- https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/ FOR CROCHET DESIGNS https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com
Labels: ethical challenges, hope, Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome, medicine, reproductive, transplant, uterine infertility, uterus
posted by G S Iyer at 9:27 AM
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