First baby in US born from transplanted uterus of deceased donor, Cleveland Clinic says

The first baby in the United States born from the transplanted uterus of a deceased donor was delivered last month at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

The mother, who is in her mid-30s, is one of three women who successfully received the transplant and the first to give birth, the clinic announced on Tuesday. The trial involves 10 women with uterine factor infertility (UFI). 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, "Women who have UFI don’t have a uterus, or had their uterus removed, so they aren’t able to get pregnant." 

“It’s important to remember that this is still research, but it’s exciting to see what the options may be for women in the future,” said maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. Uma Perni in a statement on the Cleveland Clinic's website. 

Perni was part of the mother's care team. 

“The transplantation of a uterus into a woman is a complex procedure that requires suppression of her immune system response,” said transplant surgeon Dr. Andreas Tzakis in the same statement.

“Through this research, we aim to make these extraordinary events ordinary for the women who choose this option. We are grateful to the donor. Their generosity allowed our patient’s dream to come true and a new baby to be born.”

This is the second time worldwide a woman has been able to give birth following the transplant of a deceased person's uterus. The first case was reported in Brazil in December of 2017. 

A gift:Mom who struggled years with infertility donates uterus so another woman can have a child

One in 5,000 women is born with UFI, the Cleveland Clinic reports. The transplant of a uterus "is not meant to be lifelong" and is only meant for one or two live births. The women involved in this trial underwent a rigorous screening process and are closely monitored after becoming pregnant via in-vitro fertilization. 

All 10 of the woman involved with the clinic's study are between 21 and 39 years old. 

The baby girl was delivered via cesarean section. The Cleveland Clinic says "two women are waiting to have embryo transfers, and several more candidates are waiting for a transplant." Two other transplant attempts were unsuccessful. 

More than a dozen babies have been delivered worldwide as a result of a transplanted uterus, according to the clinic.