23 Aug 2023 • Surgeons in Oxford, UK, performed the country's first successful womb transplant on a 34-year-old woman using the uterus donated by her 40-year-old sister. The surgery lasted around 17 hours and was carried out by a team of around 20 medical professionals in adjoining operating theatres at the Churchill hospital. Both the recipient and the donor, who wish to remain anonymous, recovered well from the procedure. The recipient, along with her husband, has several embryos stored for future transfer. The woman was born with a rare condition called Type 1 Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH), which results in the absence or underdevelopment of the uterus but functioning ovaries. To prevent tissue rejection, she will need to take immunosuppressive drugs, which come with long-term health risks. The uterus will be removed after a maximum of two pregnancies due to these risks. Prior to the surgery, she had undergone fertility treatment with her husband and has eight embryos in storage. Source: BBC | Read full story