A mother from the NSW Mid North Coast has become the first woman in Australia to give birth to a baby from a transplanted uterus.
Henry Bryant arrived by caesarean section at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney on December 15, and the hospital said he weighed a healthy 2.9 kilograms.
His mother Kirsty Bryant, from Coffs Habour, underwent a 16-hour surgery in January to receive a uterus donated by her mother Michelle, as part of a groundbreaking research trial.
Ms Bryant was surprised and delighted when she fell pregnant just three months later, after an embryo was transferred into the same womb in which she was formed.
“This [research] trial is the culmination of 25 years of collaborative research and persistence on a global scale, so to be able to see a baby born here in Australia is incredible.
“This is certainly a career highlight for me and to see this medical breakthrough creating a new life is quite extraordinary.
“Everyone is so delighted … being the first transplant in Australasia, we are so pleased everything is so well and she was able to delivery a beautiful healthy boy.”
Ms Bryant had an emergency hysterectomy in 2021 after suffering a major haemorrhage following the birth of her first child, Violet.
“It’s been a whirlwind year and to have Henry here safely is beyond anything I thought possible.
“I’m so grateful to all the medical team who helped get us here.”
Women who are candidates for a uterine transplant include those born without a uterus or those who have had their uterus surgically removed for reasons such as cancer or complications with childbirth.
The Royal Hospital for Women said uterus transplants lasted up to five years, giving women enough time to have children.
The hospital has approval to conduct six uterine transplant surgeries as part of the clinical trial which is expected to run for over the next three years.
Since Ms Bryant’s surgery, two more women have undergone uterus transplants at the hospital and one of those women is now pregnant.
“Kirsty’s surgery was in January, we then on the 10th of March performed a second uterus transplant; she is currently pregnant at 16 weeks and doing very well,” Dr Deans said.
“Then we also did a third transfer the day before Kirsty’s delivery, and the patient is doing very well.
“I really hope one day this can be a treatment option for women … hopefully one day Australian women can access this through the public health sector.”
(ABC)
