Womb to Spare: The First Mother-Daughter Transplant

It’s no secret girls get plenty of baggage from their moms. Sometimes they inherit her wedding dress; sometimes it’s diabetes. Sometimes, however, it’s her womb.

The world’s first mother-to-daughter uterus transplants recently happened at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. With the help of their mothers and ten surgeons, the two women may be able to now have children. Originally, one was unable to bear children due to the removal of her uterus from cervical cancer, and the other simply was born without a uterus. Following a year-long observation period, and if the women are in good health, frozen embryos will be thawed and transferred to the women.

Both recipients are recovering well and the mothers were discharged within a few days. While most call the transplants a success, Michael Olausson, one of the Swedish surgeons said, "We are not going to call it a complete success until this results in children. That's the best proof." If it is truly successful, these women will be the first to give birth using the same wombs that they themselves were born.

Let’s just hope these mother-daughter relationships are strong ones. Giving back a sweater after a fight is one thing. A womb, not so much.