Uterus transplant symbol image.

Uterus Transplants: A New Dawn for Fertility?

Rhea Morgan monogram
Rhea Morgan in Health & Wellness October 2026 • 4 min read.

"A breakthrough study explores the success of uterus transplants from deceased donors, offering hope and raising important ethical questions."


The field of reproductive medicine has witnessed remarkable progress, especially in the area of uterus transplantation. Since the first live birth following a uterus transplant from a living donor in 2015, over ten successful births have been reported. This surge in successful outcomes is due to an increase in uterus transplantation procedures, with approximately 50 completed in the last three years, involving both living and deceased donors.

A significant challenge remains: defining clear inclusion criteria for both donors and recipients. Striking a balance between maximizing the chances of success, minimizing risks to patients, and increasing the availability of organs is crucial. In a landscape where human data remains limited, a recent report by Danielle Ejzenberg and colleagues represents a pivotal advancement: the first healthy live birth resulting from a uterus transplanted from a deceased donor.

This achievement provides proof of concept for the functionality of uteri procured from deceased donors. The donor was a 45-year-old woman who suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The recipient, a 32-year-old with Rokitansky syndrome (agenesia of the distal vagina), had normal ovarian reserve, evidenced by the creation of eight high-quality embryos via in vitro fertilization (IVF).

AI Search Multiple angles on this topic

Reported Outcomes and U.S. Follow-Up

A report dated December 17, 2025, gives an overall uterine transplant success rate of approximately 74%, a clinical pregnancy rate of 36.3%, and a live birth rate per embryo transfer of 22.0%. Separately, the United States Uterus Transplant Consortium’s report describes surgical, reproductive, neonatal, and child developmental outcomes in the U.S. over eight years. These figures and follow-up outcomes offer different measures of the procedure’s reported impact.

Key Differences in Surgical Approach

Uterus transplant symbol image.

The surgical approach in the Ejzenberg study differed significantly from previous successful cases involving living donors. In prior instances, venous outflow was achieved through the exclusive use of uterine or ovarian veins. However, in this case, the venous outflow was duplicated, utilizing both the uterine and ovarian veins. This innovative modification demonstrates adaptability and refinement in surgical techniques.

Furthermore, the study challenges existing protocols regarding the waiting period post-transplant before attempting pregnancy. Traditionally, a one-year waiting period has been recommended to ensure the stability and health of the transplanted organ. However, Ejzenberg and her team initiated embryo transfer earlier than this established timeframe.

  • Extended Ischemic Time: The team demonstrated that a human uterus could remain functional even after being subjected to cold ischemia for a period four times longer than the average observed with live donations (7 hours 50 minutes vs. 1 hour 18 minutes).
  • Challenging Waiting Times: The authors also challenged the principle of waiting at least a year after transplantation before attempting pregnancy by doing the embryo transfer earlier.
AI Search Multiple angles on this topic

Evidence Gaps and Reporting Limits

A systematic review of live births after uterus transplantation used 40 births as the denominator for its calculations and treated outcomes not reported in an article as negative. Another review notes that evidence has often consisted of a limited number of incompletely reported cases and heterogeneous procedures and protocols used in studies since 2000. A review of the first 52 recipients likewise reported only qualitative analysis because the available data were heterogeneous and mainly came from case reports, case series, or articles presenting aggregate data.

Surgical Benchmarks and Alternatives

A study of hysterectomy after uterus transplantation compares the surgery durations with 100 (±41) minutes for total abdominal hysterectomy on benign indications, as reported by a Swedish registry study covering more than 27,000 hysterectomies. The comparison provides a benchmark, but the supplied excerpt does not state the transplant-related surgery durations themselves. A separate manuscript sets out to compare uterine transplantation with alternatives such as surrogacy and highlights gaps in the literature concerning recipient challenges and ethical considerations.

While some data suggest that perinatal outcomes might be compromised during the first year after solid organ transplantation, it's essential to consider that adverse outcomes may be linked to the underlying conditions necessitating the transplant rather than the transplant itself. Therefore, a careful evaluation of each case is needed to determine the optimal timing for embryo transfer.

Future Directions and Ethical Considerations

As uterus transplantation evolves, further research is essential to standardize techniques, refine patient selection criteria, and explore new sources for uteri, including bioengineering. The ultimate goal is to maximize live birth rates, minimize risks to all parties involved (donors, recipients, and offspring), and improve access to this life-changing procedure. Collaborative networks and societies will play a crucial role in promoting education, establishing best practices, and ensuring transparent reporting of outcomes.

AI Search Multiple angles on this topic

A Treatment Still Developing

A 2025 review states that the first live birth after uterus transplantation occurred in 2014. It describes the procedure as a viable fertility treatment worldwide for the 1 in 500 women affected by absolute uterine factor infertility. The same account appears in both the review’s webpage and its PDF.

Complexity, Cost, and Availability

Experts assessing uterus transplantation conclude that it is an effective and ethically acceptable infertility treatment. Their assessment also recognizes the procedure’s surgical complexity and associated costs. They note that availability remains limited.

An Option for Uterine-Factor Infertility

A bibliometric review states that millions of women worldwide experience absolute uterine infertility. For people who cannot have a functional uterus, it describes uterus transplantation as an alternative route to pregnancy and childbirth. The Dallas Uterus Transplant Study (DUETS) was designed to assess long-term outcomes after transplantation under an institutional review board–approved protocol.

What the deceased-donor result establishes

A live birth after a deceased-donor transplant shows that this route can result in childbirth; it does not, by itself, establish how often it will succeed across recipients or settings.[1]

The registry rates offer context from broader transplant reporting, but their different reported values are not a direct estimate of an individual recipient’s prospects or a like-for-like comparison with the deceased-donor case.[1] [2]

Because the transplant is described as temporary and success is framed around live birth rather than how long the graft remains, the reported endpoint emphasizes reproductive function rather than graft longevity.[3]

How birth outcomes and donor procedures are framed

A systematic review identifies preterm birth as involving multiple reported factors, including pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, and premature rupture of membranes; it reports the latter at 15%, compared with 1%–3% in the general population of pregnancies leading to childbirth.[4]

A review of robotic living-donor hysterectomy describes a learning curve and stresses care to prevent ureteric injuries, while noting that international case numbers remain small and require ongoing vigilance and reporting.[5]

The registry account places the first live birth after uterus transplantation in Sweden in 2014, following more than a decade of animal research; it presents that birth as establishing clinical feasibility.[2]

What remains unresolved about donor sources and outcomes

  • Does the deceased-donor proof of concept translate into a reproducible option for uterine infertility, and how broadly might it apply beyond the reported recipient?[1]
  • How should transplant programs weigh pregnancy outcomes against the reported factors associated with preterm birth when comparing cases and procedures?[4]

Terms used in uterus-transplant reporting

Temporary transplant
A transplant that can be removed after the mother has delivered her child or children.[3]

Sources

  1. Livebirth after uterus transplantation from a deceased donor in a recipient with uterine infertility. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  2. Second report of registry of the International Society of Uterus Transplantation (ISUTx): international activities 2000–2024 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  3. Living-Donor Uterus Transplantation: A Clinical Review (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  4. Maternal and perinatal outcomes of live births after uterus transplantation: A systematic review (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
  5. Robotic Living Donor Hysterectomy for Uterus Transplantation: An Update on Donor and Recipient Outcomes (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

About this Article -

Written with AI assistance from published research, and reviewed by the Mystum team. See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

1

What exactly is a uterus transplant?

A uterus transplant involves surgically implanting a healthy uterus into a woman who does not have one or whose uterus is not functioning properly. This procedure aims to enable women with uterine factor infertility to carry a pregnancy. Uterus transplants can come from both living and deceased donors. While not explicitly discussed, this is different than surrogacy, which involves carrying a child for someone else using the surrogate's own uterus.

2

Why is using deceased donors important in uterus transplantation?

The utilization of uteri from deceased donors represents a significant advancement because it broadens the availability of organs for transplantation. This approach can potentially help more women affected by uterine infertility. In particular, the Ejzenberg study demonstrated that uteri from deceased donors can result in successful live births, offering a new avenue for those who may not have access to living donors. This is significant because it allows for more ethical options.

3

What are 'inclusion criteria' and why are they important for uterus transplants?

In the context of uterus transplantation, inclusion criteria are the specific requirements and guidelines used to determine which individuals are suitable to be either donors or recipients of a uterus. These criteria are essential for maximizing the chances of a successful transplant, minimizing risks to all parties involved, and ensuring that the available organs are used effectively. Defining these criteria is challenging because human data is limited, but it is an important part of the future of transplants. These criteria are not the same as general medical guidelines; they are very specific.

4

What does 'extended ischemic time' mean for uterus transplants and why is it important?

Extended ischemic time refers to the duration that a uterus remains outside the body, without blood supply, during the transplantation process. The Ejzenberg study demonstrated that a human uterus could remain functional even after being subjected to cold ischemia for a significantly longer period than previously observed with live donations. This finding is crucial because it expands the possibilities for organ procurement and logistics, potentially allowing for a wider geographic range for organ donation and transplantation. This is in contrast to organs like hearts, which have shorter ischemic times.

5

What is Rokitansky syndrome, and how does uterus transplantation relate to it?

Rokitansky syndrome, also known as Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, is a congenital condition in which a female is born without a uterus and the upper part of the vagina. Women with Rokitansky syndrome typically have normal ovarian function, meaning they can produce eggs. In the context, uterus transplantation offers women with Rokitansky syndrome the opportunity to carry a pregnancy, which would otherwise be impossible. IVF is needed since the patient requires a uterus but can produce eggs. This highlights the transformative potential of uterus transplantation in addressing specific causes of infertility.

Newsletter Subscribe

Subscribe to get the latest articles and insights directly in your inbox.