Abstract
Prior to the development of uterus transplantation (UTx), absolute uterine factor infertility was untreatable. The original idea was inspired by a patient with cervical cancer who required a hysterectomy but asked about uterus transplant as she desired gestational motherhood. This resulted in over a decade of extensive animal-based research, from rodents to non-human primates. Development was performed, following the IDEAL recommendations for introduction of surgical innovations. The Swedish trial (2013) was the first to establish proof of concept, with eight babies born, all from live donor transplants. At the time of this writing, two other countries have achieved live births following UTx. In the United States, there have been two births, both from live donor transplants. Brazil reported the first live birth using a deceased donor. It should be emphasized that UTx should only be considered in a woman in whom risk of recurrent malignancy is considered negligible.
Financial support and sponsorship: Jane and Dan Olsson Foundation for Science
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Review Questions and Answers
Review Questions and Answers
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Q1.
How many women are estimated to have absolute uterine factor infertility in a population of 100 million?
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A1.
20,000
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Q2.
Which main vessels in the recipient were the donor’s uterine pedicles anastomosed to?
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A2.
Recipient’s external iliac vessels
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Q3.
Which immunosuppressive agents were used as maintenance in the first 8 months after the uterine transplant?
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A3.
Tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil
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Q4.
How long should a woman wait post malignancy before considering a uterus transplant?
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A4.
Minimum 5 years after hysterectomy and treatment has been completed.
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Brännström, M., Pittman, J. (2019). Uterus Transplantation. In: Woodruff, T., Shah, D., Vitek, W. (eds) Textbook of Oncofertility Research and Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02868-8_34
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02868-8_34
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