First Uterus Transplant in US Gives Hope to Women With Rare Condition

For some women with a
rare condition that has left
them with little hope of
bearing children, news of
the first ever uterus
transplant in the U.S. has
offered hope that they may
be able to carry children of
their own.
The procedure was done
on Wednesday as part of a
study at Cleveland Clinic.
Researchers and doctors
specified that only women
with Uterine Factor
Infertility would be
considered for the
procedure. While this could
include women who have
had a hysterectomy,
fibroids or scarring, the
procedure has also given
new hope to a group of
women with the rare
genetic syndrome called
Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-
Hauser (MRKH).

MRKH syndrome, which
affects 1 in 4,500 newborn
girls, is a disorder that
affects the reproductive
system and can cause the
vagina and uterus to be
underdeveloped or absent
from birth, according to the
National Institutes of
health .

Women with MRKH
syndrome have functioning
ovaries, so they can
potentially have children
through in vitro fertilization
and surrogacy.
“Women who are coping
with UFI [uterine factor
infertility] have few existing
options,” Dr. Tommaso
Falcone, an obstetrician-
gynecologist and Cleveland
Clinic Women’s Health
Institute chairman, said in
a statement last year.
“Although adoption and
surrogacy provide
opportunities for
parenthood, both pose
logistical challenges and
may not be acceptable due
to personal, cultural or
legal reasons.”

Jacklyn Misch, 27, was
diagnosed with MRKH at
16. She said she was
initially horrified, but over
the past 11 years had
come to accept she would
need to either adopt or go
through IVF to have
children. She said the news
of the uterus transplant
was exciting for women
living with MRKH,
especially for teen girls
who are newly diagnosed.
"I looked at my husband
last night when the article
came out and said, 'This is
so insane,'" Misch said.
"For girls who are newly
diagnosed, it will bring so
much hope."
Misch, a former Miss
Michigan and a
spokeswoman for Beautiful
You MRKH Foundation,
said she was excited about
it but also conflicted.
Eleven years after her
diagnosis, she and her
husband have been
expecting to start the IVF
process soon to start her
own family. She said she
started crying when she
first heard they were
planning to perform uterus
transplants in the U.S.
"I talked to my mom about
this," Misch said. "It is a
complicated emotion
because I said I could have
a baby bump now. I never
in my life envisioned
myself with a baby bump."

Kristen Peterson, 28, was
also diagnosed with MRKH
at 16 and said hearing the
news changed the way she
felt about having the
syndrome.
"When you believe for 12
years that there is no
option for you whatsoever
to get pregnant, in an
instant that changes,"
Peterson said. "The option
changes it and it makes it
feel there’s a possibility"
for giving birth.
Peterson, who gives talks
about MRKH to raise
awareness, said the
procedure is incredibly
exciting, though she said
she would have to think
very carefully about
pursuing it.
"I worked so hard to get to
a place that I accepted the
way I was born. There was
a lot of emotions and
counseling," Peterson
explained. "The thought of
doing a uterus transplant
and having that hope and
going through those
feelings if it didn’t work ...
I don’t know if I’m willing
to do that."

Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC
News' Chief Women's
Health Correspondent and
board-certified obstetrician
and gynecologist, said the
uterus transplant was a
major breakthrough in
women's health and huge
advance for helping women
with MRKH.
"The really important thing
for this story is it speaks
to the incredibly powerful
drive that some woman
have to carry their own
baby," Ashton said. "Even
though uterine surrogacy is
legal in the U.S. for some
women, it’s not enough,
it’s not the same thing.
This is, I think, a really
exciting important step for
women’s health in this
country."
While the uterus transplant
was carried out
successfully, doctors said
they want the patient to
wait at least a year before
attempting to get pregnant.