Yesterday, a baby was born from a uterus transplant in Dallas, Texas - a first for the United States. The news gives hope to women everywhere struggling with infertility.
According to ABC News, the mum in question had been born without a uterus.
She was one of four women who received womb transplants at Baylor University Medical Center in October 2016, but the other three had theirs removed due to poor blood flow. Baylor are hoping to enroll up to 10 women to have wombs transplanted for a study of theirs that has been ongoing for several years.
The woman gave birth at Baylor University Medical Center yesterday, but no other details are available at the moment, out of respect for her privacy.
While this is a first for the United States, in Sweden Dr Mats Brannstrom has already delivered five children from womb transplants as of last year.
Worldwide, there have been at least 16 uterus transplants. The donors can be either dead or alive. In Sweden, the donors have been mostly family members, including mothers and sisters.
Women may require a uterus transplant for a number of reasons. With Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, there is underdevelopment of the vagina and uterus which limits the chances of natural conception. The genetic disorder affects approximately one in every 4,500 newborn baby girls. Other women have Uterine Factor Infertility, which results from uterine polyps, a misshapen uterus, or uterine scarring.
In Baylor's study, women ages 20 to 35 will receive IVF before the uterus transplant in order for their embryos to be frozen until they can try to conceive.
The women must wait at least a year to have the embryo implanted in the uterus, in order to ensure it is functioning properly. Babies resulting from this type of transplant are delivered via C-section.
The wombs are not meant to be permanent, as the women have to take strong drugs in order to prevent organ rejection. These drugs potentially have long-term health risks, so the wombs are removed after the woman has had one or two children.
There is expected to be a press conference on Monday with more information about the birth.
Congratulations to the new mum! Medical science truly works wonders.
