Two more womb swap babies due in weeks: Expectant mums use organ - TopicsExpress

Two more womb swap babies due in weeks: Expectant mums use organ of their own mothers to have children (and heres the boy who made history) By Fiona Macrae for the Daily Mail 23:14 05 Oct 2014, updated 00:48 06 Oct 2014 +8 Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Click to open Pinterest Google Plus Reddit Stumble Upon Digg it LinkedIn Email Click to close 235 shares 0 comments The women have wombs transplanted by their own mothers The world’s first womb swap baby, Vincent, has already been delivered Doctors say the pregnancies are going well and the mothers are excited The news gives hope to Britain’s estimated 15,000 childless women Two women are just weeks away from giving birth – using transplanted wombs donated by their own mothers. The expectant mums will be the first to carry children using the very uterus that carried them as unborn infants. The pregnancies are part of a revolutionary Swedish project to allow childless women to fulfil their dream of starting a family. The world’s first womb swap baby, named as Vincent, has already been delivered using an unrelated donor. Now doctors are preparing for two more arrivals – but this time each one is being nurtured in its grandmother’s womb. Scroll down for video +8 World first: Vincent was nurtured in a donated womb. It has now emerged that two women are just weeks away from giving birth – using transplanted wombs donated by their own mothers +8 The news gives hope to Britain’s estimated 15,000 childless women and provides a boost for a similar project in the UK in which 60 women are waiting for a new womb, Pictured, Vincent and his mother after his delivery The extraordinary procedure, which doctors have likened in importance to the first successful heart transplant, means each womb will have carried two generations of the same family. Dr Liza Johannesson, of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, said the pregnancies are going well and the mothers are ‘really excited’ at seeing their babies, which are due next month. ‘It is also really exciting to have your mother as a donor,’ she added. ‘It is a very nice gift to give to your daughter.’ The news gives hope to Britain’s estimated 15,000 childless women and provides a boost for a similar project in the UK in which 60 women are waiting for a new womb. MORE... Five British women to be given womb transplants: Miracle UK babies could be born in just three years after breakthrough in Sweden Bid to delay ‘three parent babies’ through IVF as tests find fears could suffer reduced fertility, learning difficulties and even cancer My baby saved my life: Doctors say giving birth helped new mom survive blood clot Many women will have been born without the organ, others will have had a hysterectomy because of cancer or as a last-ditch attempt stop life-threatening bleeding during labour. Eventually, the technique could also be used on women who have suffered the agony of repeated miscarriages. Using a donated womb also means that expectant mothers can have babies that are genetically their own and experience the joys of pregnancy. Doctors in Turkey and Saudi Arabia have carried out womb transplants before – but none has so far led to a birth. Teams in the US, China and Australia are also keen to start their own programmes. The Swedes have carried out nine womb transplants – and seven of the women have had IVF treatment. Late on Friday night, it emerged that one had been successful – and the world’s first womb transplant baby was delivered. He has been called Vincent – a name derived from the Latin for ‘to conquer’ – to mark the extraordinary lengths his mother undertook to have him. WORLD FIRST as baby is born to woman with womb transplant +8 +8 +8 (Left to right) Specialist surgeons Andreas G Tzakis, Pernilla Dahm-Kähler, Mats Brannstrom, Michael Olausson and Liza Johannesson attend a news conference, at Sahlgrenska hospital in Gothernburg, Sweden Born by C-section two months prematurely, Vincent weighed just under 4lb and entered the world with a scream, bringing tears of joy to those who witnessed his arrival. His 36-year-old mother, who worked until the day before he was born, said: ‘As soon as I felt this perfect baby boy on my chest, I had tears of happiness and enormous relief. ‘I felt like a mother the first time I touched my baby and was amazed that we finally did it. ‘I have always had this large sorrow because I never thought I would be a mother – and now the impossible has become real.’ +8 A keen athlete, she was devastated when she was told at the age of 15 that she did not have a womb. She was able to carry her own child after a 61-year-old friend offered to donate her womb. Despite being long past menopause, her womb worked normally during the pregnancy. Consultant gynaecologist Dr Johannesson described Vincent’s birth, which took place a month ago but has remained a secret until now, as ‘breathtaking’. ‘It was like having your own child. It was the same feeling – no one could really believe it.’ The doctor, who was pregnant with her third child at the same time as Vincent’s mother, said: ‘I was more involved in that pregnancy than in my own.’ Vincent is now back home with his parents, who have not been named. He is breastfeeding and growing well. Dr Johannesson added: ‘They are doing perfect. The parents told me that first night at home was horrible because he was screaming – like any other child.’ Vincent’s father said: ‘We now have the most amazing baby. He’s no different from any other child, but he will have a good story to tell.’ FIRST BRITISH TRANSPLANTS BY NEXT YEAR +8 Mats Brannstrom and his team performing a womb transplant in Gothenburg, Sweden The first British transplants could be carried out as soon as next summer – using wombs from dead donors. Richard Smith, head of the charity Womb Transplant UK, is ready to give five women the chance to have children using the procedure and is applying for ethical approval. Some 60 potential patients have already come forward. But Mr Smith, who has already spent significant amounts of his own money on years of research, only has £40,000 of the £500,000 needed for the surgery. Unlike the Swedish project in which living donors are used, the consultant gynaecological surgeon plans to use wombs from women who have died young. He said he is uncomfortable about removing a woman’s womb for an operation that is not essential to save a life. He claims taking the organ from a dead donor will allow him to harvest extra tissue and the major blood vessels needed to take the strain of pregnancy. One of his potential patients, Sophie Lewis, said: ‘To feel your own child growing inside you would be a miracle.’ The 30-year-old, who said she burst into tears of joy when she heard of Vincent’s birth in Sweden, added. ‘It would be an absolute gift, the most amazing gift ever.’ Mr Smith added: ‘In many women, there is a deep yearning to carry children and this is not fulfilled by surrogacy. ‘I’ve had my own crisis with this project over the years – are we doing the right thing? ‘But when you meet women in this position, I know in my heart of hearts that if we do it safely, it is the right thing.’ Henrik Hagberg, a professor in foetal medicine at King’s College London, who did ultrasound scans of Vincent throughout the pregnancy, said: ‘I was quite astounded that everything went so well. I think that’s quite fantastic.’ Pernilla Dahm Kähler, who along with Mats Brännström of Gothenburg University has spent 15 years perfecting the complex surgical techniques involved in a womb transplant, said she felt ‘humble and proud’ to witness the birth. Dr Dahm Kähler helped remove the donor womb from the 61-year-old woman – and transplant it in Vincent’s mother. Professor Brännström said the birth provides scientific evidence that the technique works, adding: ‘It gives us scientific evidence that the concept of uterus transplantation can be used to treat uterine factor infertility, which up to now has remained the last untreatable form of female infertility. ‘It also shows that transplants with a live donor are possible, including if the donor is past menopause.’ Dr Allan Pacey, chairman of the British Fertility Society, likened the operations to the first heart transplant. He added: ‘I think it is quite revolutionary. It feels like it did when IVF was developed or when the first heart transplant was done in the 1960s. ‘It is a bit of a game-changer. The question is can it be done repeatedly, reliably and safely.’ Dr Geeta Nargund, medical director of the Create fertility clinic in London, said: ‘This is a significant medical breakthrough and I congratulate the highly-skilled team behind it.’ However, she said the complexity of the surgery means it will be restricted to a few specialist hospitals.