Ohio Surgeons Perform U.S.’s First Successful Uterus Transplant

The first uterus transplant in the United States has successfully been performed by surgeons in Cleveland, Ohio.

A 26-year-old patient is in stable condition after undergoing a nine hour surgery on Wednesday at the Cleveland Clinic, according to the hospital. Her identity has not been released in order to protect her privacy.

Beginning in 2015, the Cleveland Clinic started a screening process in order to find candidates for uterus transplants. They were selecting women who had non-functioning uteruses, in hopes that a transplant would allow the recipient or recipients to successfully conceive and give birth.

The transplanted uterus was given from a deceased donor.

The hospital released a statement saying that a research team will continue to screen for candidates with Uterine Factor Infertility (UFI). UFI, a condition found in 3 percent to 5 percent of women in the world, is irreversible.

In 2014, a Swedish woman became the world’s first woman to successfully give birth after having a uterus transplant. The uterus was donated to her from her own mother.