A groundbreaking medical milestone has been achieved in Australia, as the first woman in the country has given birth to a baby from a transplanted uterus. Kirsty Bryant, from Coffs Harbour on the NSW Mid North Coast, underwent a 16-hour surgery in January to receive a uterus donated by her mother as part of a research trial. Just three months later, she fell pregnant, and on December 15, baby Henry arrived safely via caesarean section at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney. Weighing a healthy 2.9 kilograms, Henry is a testament to the success of the uterus transplant procedure.
This achievement provides hope for women facing uterine factor infertility, a condition where they are unable to conceive due to the absence or dysfunction of a uterus. Medical experts, including Dr. Rebecca Deans and Swedish surgeon Mats Brännström, who performed the original uterine transplant, believe that this breakthrough can offer an alternative to adoption or surrogacy for these women. The success of this trial, which marks the culmination of 25 years of collaborative research, opens up the possibility for more women in Australia to access this treatment option in the future.
Since Ms. Bryant’s surgery, two more women have undergone uterus transplants at the Royal Hospital for Women, with one of them now pregnant. The hospital has approval for six uterus transplant surgeries as part of the ongoing clinical trial, which is expected to continue for the next three years. As this medical breakthrough continues to pave the way for more women to conceive and have children, the hope is that one day, the public health sector in Australia will provide access to this treatment option for all women in need.
