Uterus transplantation — indications, technique, and results

Uterus transplantation was a transformative innovation in reproductive medicine and organ transplantation in general, and an alternative for the treatment of infertility. The problem of infertility affects 8–12% of the population of reproductive age, causing an enormous social impact. Uterus transplantation, a relatively new treatment, has emerged as an excellent option for couples with absolute uterine infertility. The first uterus transplant performed was in 2000, in Saudi Arabia. At this same time, a Swedish researcher began several experimental works with uterine transplantation in different animal models. Only more than a decade after the first attempt in humans was a second case performed, in Turkey, in 2011. The first transplant in the Americas was performed in the United States of America, in 2016, with a deceased donor. In the same year, in Brazil, the group from Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, performed the first uterus transplant in Latin America, also with a deceased donor. This Brazilian case resulted in the world’s first birth from a deceased donor uterus transplant in December 2017, making Brazil and Hospital das Clínicas in a vanguard position in the world transplant scenario. Even so, we have today more than 100 transplants performed on the planet, with the birth of more than 70 children.