Human uterine transplant gets go-ahead

The disputed project may start later this fall, according to local newspaper Göteborgs-Posten.

Ten couples, in which the woman lacks a uterus, will be participating in the project. In a first run, six operations are planned.

In several of these six cases, the woman’s mother will be donating her uterus to her daughter.

The couples will undergo an IVF treatment to see if they are fertile together, and the fertilized eggs will then be frozen down for when, or if, the donated uterus is ready for pregnancy.

Due to the risk of repellency, this takes at least a year after a successful transplant.

The transplantation project was originally planned to start in April, but had to be postponed as the Ethical Review Board (Etikprövningsnämnden) dismissed it twice.

It has now been approved on the condition that the scientists involved introduce a safety committee, which is to follow the project and hold “regular meetings with protocol of their standpoints”.

Sahlgrenska University Hospital’s research group has been working on the transplantation project for over a decade.

Every year, 14 girls are born without a uterus in Sweden.