​Passage: Born from a transplanted womb

Passage: A miracle of medicine

It happened just this past week in Sweden . . . a medical first that holds the promise of helping thousands of women around the world.

Doctors at the University of Gothenburg announced that a 36-year-old woman gave birth to a baby boy last month after receiving a transplanted womb.

The new mother - who was born without a uterus -- is one of nine women who underwent the operation in late 2012 and early 2013.

The procedure involves removing a uterus from a donor, placing it briefly on a bed of ice, flushing it with preservatives, and then implanting it in the hopeful mother-to-be.

Remarkably enough, in the case of the woman who gave birth, the donor was a 61-year-old family friend who had already gone through menopause.

Vincent was born by Caesarean section at 31 weeks. AP

After waiting a year to make sure all was well, the doctors placed an embryo into the womb . . . an embryo created in a lab dish from the mother's egg and the father's sperm.

The parents have asked that they not be identified, but they have released a baby picture, and they've told us his name. It's Vincent . . . chosen, his mother says, because it means "to conquer."

And this may not be the end of the birth announcements: One of the doctors says there are two other transplanted womb pregnancies that are at least 25 weeks along.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.