The First U.S. Uterus transplant Has Failed

The first attempted uterus transplant in the U.S. has failed. The patient, Lindsay MacFarland, appeared before reporters on February 26, two days after the operation, to thank The Cleveland Clinic and her doctors. But just a day later the uterus was removed because of complications caused by a yeast infection. The announcement of that failure came only yesterday. For more details and photos, see the article in the Daily Mail.

The Cleveland Clinic had anticipated that this would just be the first of ten such surgeries in order to evaluate the potential of such transplants on a wider scale. The protocol may have to be modified in an effort to reduce the chances of future failures.

As I noted in a previous post (see this blog, Nov. 23, 2015), a uterus transplant serves no valid medical purpose other than to allow an infertile woman to experience pregnancy. In a statement to the New York Times last year Mrs. MacFarland, the mother of three adopted children, said, "I crave that experience. I want the morning sickness, the backaches, the feet swelling. I want to feel the baby move. That is something I've wanted for as long as I can remember. "

Do you think it will be worth the risk and expense for surgeons to perfect this surgery? (Mrs. MacFarland's surgery was paid for by a government-funded research study.)