First U.S. baby born to mother with transplanted uterus

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- For the first time in the United States, a baby has been born to a mother who received a uterus transplant, U.S. doctors announced Monday.

The child, "a beautiful baby boy," was born last month at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, as part of a clinical trial conducted over the past year and a half, the hospital said.

"They both are fine. The mom is already going home, the baby is on room air and eating, and the mom is anxiously awaiting him to come home," a Baylor doctor told a new conference broadcast online.

In a statement, Giuliano Testa, principal investigator of the uterine transplant clinical trial, called the first live birth as "a milestone" and "a beautiful moment of love and hope for a mother who had been told she would never be able to carry her own child."

The transplant was carried out as part of a clinical trial to study new infertility treatment options for women with absolute uterine factor infertility, meaning their uterus is nonfunctioning or nonexistent.

The new parents have asked for privacy at this time but they said in a statement that they feel "profoundly blessed" to have been part of the study and "are optimistic that this initial success will lead to many more in the future."

"We humbly hope that our little boy can serve as an inspiration to those struggling with infertility, and demonstrate throughout his life that no matter what obstacles are in your path, with the right team working beside you, anything is possible," the parents said.

Uterine factor infertility is estimated to affect one in 500 women of reproductive age and can result from either congenital absence of a uterus? or from a nonfunctional or surgically absent uterus.

For these women uterus transplantation represents the only way they can carry a pregnancy.

Christos Coutifaris, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), said in a statement this birth "represents another important milestone in the history of reproductive medicine" but work in this area should take place only under the oversight of ethics review boards.

"ASRM supports further development of uterus transplantation as a therapeutic option and wishes to emphasize the need to move forward with caution and appropriate preparation," Coutifaris said.

So far, only eight other babies have been born to women who have received uterus transplants, and all of those births occurred in Sweden. Enditem