Dozens of Babies Have Been Born from Uterus Transplants
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Uterus transplants are becoming more common, opening up the possibility of pregnancy and parenthood to people with certain health conditions
By Tanya Lewis edited by Dean Visser
Carol Yepes/Getty Images
For people who have serious uterine abnormalities—including a condition that causes the uterus to be absent at birth—or have had their uterus damaged or removed, the only options for having a child have long been limited to gestational surrogacy (which is illegal in many countries) or adoption. But recent advances have made it possible to transplant a uterus from a living or deceased donor—and for that uterus to carry a viable pregnancy.
Since the first successful human uterus transplant more than a decade ago, more than 100 have been performed worldwide, and about half have led to a live birth. The procedure is still experimental and carries risks for the donor and recipient, but it is increasingly offering hope of having biological children to people around the world.
Researchers say there is a long way to go before these transplants are available to everyone who might want one, however.
Tanya Lewis is a senior editor covering health and medicine at Scientific American. She writes and edits stories for the website and print magazine on topics ranging from COVID to organ transplants. She also appears on Scientific American's podcast Science, Quickly and writes Scientific American's weekly Health & Biology newsletter. She has held a number of positions over her eight years at Scientific American, including health editor, assistant news editor and associate editor at Scientific American Mind. Previously, she has written for outlets that include Insider, Wired, Science News, and others. She has a degree in biomedical engineering from Brown University and one in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Follow her on Bluesky @tanyalewis.bsky.social