"Infinitely grateful": a fourth uterus transplant successfully performed in France

"It's just magic." The fourth French uterus transplant was successfully performed at the Foch Hospital in Suresnes on June 14, reports France Inter . The patient, a 27-year-old woman, "had Rokitansky syndrome (MRKH), responsible for infertility due to uterine agenesis (birth without a uterus)," the health establishment explained in a press release issued this Wednesday.

The donor of this transplant patient is none other than her mother. "The transplant was performed from the uterus of a living donor (her mother). Everything went as planned, both patients are doing well and returned home 10 days later," the hospital statement added.

"I love her and I am infinitely grateful. There are no words to express what she has done. It is simply magical," the transplant patient, who must now undergo in vitro fertilization in the hope of becoming pregnant, told France Inter.

The transplant was performed by the teams of Professor Jean-Marc Ayoubi, head of the obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive medicine department at Foch Hospital in Suresnes. He is responsible for the first three uterus transplants in France (in 2019, 2022, and 2023), which resulted in the birth of three "perfectly healthy" babies.

This transplant, which "mobilized more than twenty researchers" and lasted 18 hours, according to the hospital's press release, is a significant step forward for women suffering from Rokitansky syndrome - which affects one in 4,000 women - or infertility. Foch Hospital welcomes "the significant scientific advances in the fields of transplantation and reproduction."