Cleveland Clinic surgeons perform nation's first uterus transplant

[TexasTowelie]

Read more: http://democratsforever.freeforums.net/thread/4328/cleveland-clinic-surgeons-perform-nations

[ebayfool]

1. "They are not intended to last for the duration of the recipient's life ..."

Makes sense for them that want it. I have a friend that has undergone kidney transplants (2) and I will say the meds she has to take are 'grueling'. This would be temporary.

http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2016/02/cleveland_clinic_surgeons_perf.html

snips/

Others have questioned whether such an extreme step would be a realistic option for many women. It's fraught with medical risk, including rejection of the transplant and having to take potent immune-suppressing drugs for a transplant that, unlike patients who receive a donated kidney or heart, isn't life-saving.

One important difference: "Unlike any other transplants, they are 'ephemeral,'" Tzakis said last year in a statement announcing the study. "They are not intended to last for the duration of the recipient's life, but will be maintained for only as long as is necessary to produce one or two children."

Removing a uterus from a deceased donor requires more than a normal hysterectomy, as the major arteries also must be removed. The womb and blood vessels are sewn inside the recipient's pelvis. Before closing the abdomen, surgeons check for good blood flow and that the attachment to the ligaments is strong enough to maintain a pregnancy.

If a woman is approved for a transplant in the study, she would first have to have eggs removed from her ovaries, like is done for in vitro fertilization, and then freeze the embryos. Those could be implanted only 12 months after the transplant heals, if it's successful.

[tk2kewl]

2. Very cool

I can't resist the chance for a little snark so...

Did they put it in Killer Mike?

[awoke_in_2003]

7. I was going to go with

Jay Cutler.

[HassleCat]

3. I heard about this

I wonder how much time, attention and money are diverted from basic, fundamental health care for low income and working class people so one person can have this unnecessary procedure. Please don't insult my intelligence by responding that there is no connection.

[REP]

4. But baaaaybeeeeeez!!

Super expensive, resource-draining ways to produce a baaaaybeee is the most important thing in the world because people with money who want children will pay almost anything to have/get them. Finding, say, the exact genetic component of disbetes and doing something about that isn't as profitable as selling diabetic insulin at $200.00 a vial.

[TexasTowelie]

5. I'm not in a position to address the questions that you asked, particularly regarding time

and attention because it is obvious that the surgeons would have to divert time and attention to learn the procedure and techniques in order to make it successful.

At the same time, I can also understand why a woman would want to experience the entire process of pregnancy and the maternal bond that develops during carrying a baby as compared to surrogacy or adoption. However, the money for this attempt belongs to the woman (couple?) involved rather than public money that is being diverted from providing other necessary health care in an either-or situation since I doubt that the operation was funded by an insurance company or a government health care program because it is an experimental procedure.

I would prefer to be positive and wish the best for the woman involved and hope that she is able to bear children in the future rather than viewing it as a trade-off. Thus far, nothing has been shown which indicates anyone was adversely affected by this event. If there was a trade-off involved and someone was denied fundamental health care then I would certainly be willing to reconsider based on those negative implications.

[tk2kewl]

6. I would also assume that much was learned that has other applications