by Playfuls Staff |
15th January 2007
Doctors at a New York hospital plan the first uterus transplant to allow women with defective or removed wombs to bear children, news reports said Monday.
A cancer [more] specialist, Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore, and gynecologist surgeon, Dr. Jeanetta Stega, of the New York Downtown Hospital, which is part of the New York-Presbyterian Health Care system, revealed steps that would lead to the first uterus transplant. He said it was a natural progression after the successful transplants of limbs and partial facial replacements.
"I believe it's technically possible to do," said Del Priore, the lead physician. He was quoted by the New York Post.
"If this is a passionate desire for a woman who's had surgical removal of a uterus, I would think this would be something she'd really want to pursue," said Julia Rowland, director of the National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Survivorship.
Rowland said, however, that the risks should be carefully weighed. Other scientists said the uterus transplant should be done first on animals to see whether they would produce healthy offsprings.
The Post said the news of the first uterus transplant has drawn different views. Thousands of women had become pregnant after receiving kidney, heart and other transplants, and advocates believe a uterus transplant would help women who strongly desire to have children.
News reports said the wombs would come from dead donors - the normal practice to obtain organs - and would be removed after the recipient gives birth to avoid the constant need of anti-rejection drugs.
They said the New York hospital's ethics board had conditionally approved the transplant, but warned that the transplant would not be anytime soon in the near future. Some scientists warned that the bold idea of a uterus transplant is "not really ready for prime time."
But the reports said doctors at the New York Downtown Hospital did a six-month experiment, which showed that wombs could be had from organ donors and they were screening for potential recipients.
© 2007 DPA
