Top fertility clinics in the country have approached the ethical committee to get the additional nod for a path-breaking surgery. ‘Womb transplant’ was first carried out in Sweden and later in the US and China.
Dr Kamini Rao, medical director at Milann Fertility Centre, told TOI, “We have registered 11 women suffering from a rare congenital disorder called MRKH (Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser) syndrome for womb transplants.”
“They will be operated upon as soon as we get clearance from the organ transplant authority,” she added.
Dr Rao told TOI that the first few cases will be handled at Milann’s Bengaluru centre by the Swedish doctors from the University of Gothenburg.
“The Medical Council of India has permitted the Swedish experts to perform the procedure, but a final nod from the organ transplant authority is awaited,” she added.
Surgeons implant the uterus harvested from a living or cadaver donor into a patient who lacks a functional womb. The recipient goes through three stages of surgery: transplantation, childbirth through caesarean section and the removal of the donor organ post childbirth.
“Most of the transplants conducted thus far have used organs harvested from living donors. Any woman who has completed her childbearing function can be a donor,” said Dr Suneeta Mittal, director and head of obstetrics at Gurgaon’s Fortis Memorial Research Institute.
For the 11 women currently enrolled and waiting for the clearance, the donors are their mothers and sisters, all beyond the childbearing age.
Though a boon for women who may want to bear children, the procedure has ethical dimensions. Unlike most transplants, this is not a life-saving procedure. The ethical committee may consider adoption, surrogacy and other non traumatic alternatives for those who want children before giving the nod.
The transplant also exposes the donor and the recipient to high risks as the process involves the removal of the entire uterine system rather than just the organ. The recipient will have to stay on immunosuppressive drugs for a long period even after the surgery. This could weaken her immunity and lead to other complications.
