- The first Womb transplant in modern times was carried out on 26 year old woman Saudi Arabia in 2000. The Patient had undergone a hysterectomy but the transplant was a failure caused by predictable problems with the blood supply to the transplanted womb. The womb was removed after just three months.
- In 2011 Turkish surgeons transplanted a womb from a deceased donor into a 21 year old patient, Derya Sert who became pregnant. After a series of miscarriages, she finally gave birth in June 2020.
- Following successful pregnancies in animals, a research team in Gothenberg, Sweden led by surgeon Mats Brannstrom carried out a series of successful womb transplants from living donors related to the recipients starting in 2012. Several babies were born as a result of this ground breaking surgery. Brannstrom’s team has since performed a series of uterus transplant operations with donor wombs from both living and deceased donors.
- In 2015 surgeons in China performed the first womb transplant in Asia. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic uterus retrieval was performed on the donor. After five unsuccessful attempts, a previously frozen embryo was successfully implanted in the patient’s womb in Jun, 2018 and a healthy baby boy was delivered as a result.
- A uterus transplant was performed for the first time in the USA in February 2016 at Cleveland Clinic. However the transplanted uterus was removed due to a compromised blood supply to the uterus following an infection.
- Between 2016 and 2020, the team at Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, USA, performed 20 uterus transplants involving both living and deceased donors. There have been 14 children born from 12 uterus transplant procedures.
- In 2017 surgeons transplanted a mother’s womb intro her daughter at the Galaxy Care Hospital at Pune, India. Other centres in India have since performed the operation.
Since the there have been uterus transplants performed by teams in other countries, with published cases in Australia, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Germany, Lebanon, Serbia, France and Spain.
As at 1st July 2023, there were around 100 known uterus transplants performed worldwide and around 50 healthy babies have been born so far.