A woman became the first person outside of a clinical trial to give birth after receiving a uterus transplant.
Mallory, whose last name was not provided by the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital, was reportedly born without a uterus, a condition known as Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome.
She said she had come to terms with not carrying a child, but still felt like something was missing, so she decided to look into the groundbreaking uterus transplant procedure.
“There are all different ways to grow your family if you have uterine factor infertility, but this [uterus transplantation] is what I feel like I knew that I was supposed to do,” Mallory said.
After being accepted into the uterus transplant program at the hospital, Mallory and her medical team came up with a plan to help her carry a child.
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Endometriosis affects about 10% of women ages 15-44 and is considered one of the most common reproductive health concerns for women.
First, an embryo was generated through in vitro fertilization. Mallory then underwent the uterus transplant and received constant monitoring as she healed. Once doctors felt it was safe to do so, she had the embryo implanted in her uterus.
"Once successfully pregnant, she remained under frequent specialized care of maternal-fetal medicine obstetricians until her scheduled cesarean section birth," UAB Hospital stated.
Mallory gave birth to a healthy baby boy 18 months after starting the process.
“I mean just hearing the cry at first was just, you know, mind blowing,” Mallory recalled.
Doctors hope that this case is just the first of many for women like Mallory.
“Our goal and dream for this program is to make this routine for women who want to experience pregnancy and childbirth but can’t for a variety of health reasons," said Dr. Anupam Agarwal.
How does the organ transplant system work?
1,400 people sit on the waiting list for organ transplants.
