Overview:

Uterus transplantation (UTx) is the first available treatment for the thousands of women that are absolute uterine factor infertile (AUFI), because lack of a uterus or presence of a defect uterus. To date only 11 cases of uterus transplantation have been reported in the scientific literature, and with two additional ones (China, USA) recently performed and only reported in media. Five live births (71% take-home-baby rate) have been reported from the clinical trial in Sweden, with all transplantations performed with live donors (majority mothers). The talk will cover potential patients groups, surgical techniques, immunosuppression, associated reproductive medicine procedures and obstetric outcome. Moreover, the possible future developments will be discussed.

Biography:

Dr. Mats Brännström is professor in and chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Institute of Clinical Sciences at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He is also Senior Consultant of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. He received his M.D. from the University of Gothenburg in 1985, his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Gothenburg 1988, and completed his postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Adelaide, Australia in 1993. He has received numebrous awards in the field including the Bob Edwards Price Award from the Indian Association of Embryology 2014; the Czech Transplantation Foundation Annual Award, 2015; and the Dexeus International Science Award, 2015. He is Honorary Professor, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Moscow University; the 9th Joseph E. Murray Visiting Professor in Transplant Surgery, Harvard Medical School; and an Honorary Member of the International Society of Vascularized and Composite Allotransplantation.

Prof. Brännström’s team’s research focus is on female reproductive health; the main goal of which is to improve diagnostics, treatment and postoperative care for a number of common female health issues by performing experimental, clinical and epidemiological studies including: vulation mechanisms, effects of prophylactic oophorectomy, uterus transplantation, bioengineered uterus and ovary ovarian cryopreservation.

In Sweden alone there are approximately 2,000–3,000 women who are childless because of an dysfunctional or missing uterus. After careful planning nine women have recieved a new uterus from transplantation. In September 2014, the first transplanted woman delivered a baby – a healthy and normally developed boy.