Uterus Transplant Techniques in Primates: 10 Years' Experience

Abstract

Preserving and restoring fertility are important quality-of-life outcomes for cancer survivors and others who cannot bear children. Transplantation has advanced sufficiently to allow nonvital organ transplant to become a reality. Together, research on reproductive organs and transplantation has resulted in live human births from ovary transplants used to treat absolute ovary factor infertility. Each year, approximately 5000 women under the age of 25 years undergo a hysterectomy. From various other causes, approximately 9 million women of childbearing age in the United States currently have absolute uterine factor infertility due to the absence of the uterus. Research on uterus transplantation has been reported for decades from multiple institutions around the world. Our group has been involved in the area for more than 10 years. To encourage other investigations in this area, we summarize our results in primates as a proof of concept that uterus transplants can be theoretically done.