Agency Report –
Belgium has achieved a medical milestone with the birth of the country’s first baby following a successful uterus transplant. The mother, who underwent the complex procedure at Ghent University Hospital in 2018, has now given birth to a healthy child, the hospital announced on Monday.
A woman at Ghent University Hospital (UZ Gent) has given birth to Belgium’s first baby following a uterus transplant, the hospital confirmed on Monday. The mother underwent the groundbreaking procedure in 2018 and later successfully conceived, culminating in the birth of a healthy baby via caesarean section at 37 weeks.
Years of meticulous preparation led to this success. The parents first underwent extensive medical and psychological screening in 2016 before embarking on an IVF process. The woman’s eggs were fertilised with her partner’s sperm in the laboratory, and by late 2018, the uterus transplant was performed.
Ensuring the body did not reject the transplanted organ was a crucial challenge. After a year without complications, doctors proceeded with embryo implantation. This eventually resulted in a successful pregnancy.
For now, the newborn will not be presented to the media, but both mother and child are doing well, according to UZ Gent.
Unique
Uterus transplants are highly complex procedures and are considered only for women with congenital abnormalities that prevent them from carrying a pregnancy. Currently, only donors who are declared brain-dead are eligible for the procedure.
When UZ Gent performed the transplant six years ago, it was one of just ten hospitals worldwide to undertake such an operation.