“If God allows, we will hold our baby in our arms”. 21-year-old Derya Sert (right) and her doctor Omer Ozkan pose for a photograph before her medical operation
Derya Sert is the 21 year old who had the world’s first successful womb transplant at a Turkish hospital. On August 9th, 2011, doctors at Akdeniz University Hospital in Turkey’s southern province of Antalya, successfully transplanted a uterus to Derya Sert without any major complications. This is a new precedence in the medical developments of women’s health in the Middle East region.
Hope for new mothers
Derya Sert was born without a uterus. According to statistics, 1 in every 5,000 women is born without a womb. Derya is the first woman in the world to receive a womb from a deceased donor, which raises hopes for millions of women to bear children.
Sert, a housewife, has been in the hospital for around six months and is beaming with the good news of a newfound role for motherhood. “Happiness, excitement all the feelings are mixed,” she said.
A world first medical achievement
A uterus transplant has only been attempted once before – in Saudi Arabia in 2000. That womb came from a live donor but it failed after 99 days later due to heavy clotting, media reports said. (MSNBC) Doctors had to remove the organ.
Micro-surgeon Omer Ozkan was part of the surgical team of a total of eight doctors and seven medical staff at Akdeniz University. Producing volunteers to donate the organ was far from easy.
“In that operation (2000) the vein was too short for the anastomosis and the uterus was not supported very well,” added gyneacologist Munire Erman Akar, from the same team.
The doctors are confident that they have now overcome those problems. By taking advantage of working on a deceased donor (cadaver), they were able to remove a wider tissue segment surrounding the womb to place it securely inside the body of the recipient, and longer vessels to support the organ.
21 year old Derya Sert's successful womb transplant is a real hope for women who cannot give birth
Fortunately, the donor womb has been accepted by Sert’s body after a great deal of searching for solutions to her medical problem. “The womb has already become one of my own organs,” said Sert, We have been waiting for this day to come.”
How the transplant process works
People donating a loved one’s organs would be asked to donate the uterus too. A uterus stays capable of working functionally for about 12 hours after removal, so the recipient would need to be ready for surgery once the retrieval begins.
- The uterus is removed from a cadaver.
- During a hysterectomy procedure the donated uterus is transplanted.
- Embryos are implanted later: most deliveries are by caesarean section.
- Immune-suppressing drugs are taken until the donated uterus is removed
Test-tube baby or conventional pregnancy?
From a religious perspective, the womb transplant will raise questions of surrogacy and conventional methods of getting pregnant. Sert will have implanted embryos from her husband, which were produced before the surgery.
The doctors added that despite declaring it a success, the procedure is dependent on continuous use of immunosuppressive drugs, which have also improved since the first womb transplant. Omer Ozkan gives at least six to eight months before Sert can have the test-tube babies implanted for a good chance of getting pregnant.
During pregnancy, “there are many risks like congenital anomalies because of the immunosuppressive (drugs), and intrauterine growth retardation, preterm labor,” said Akar.
“The surgery was a success… [but] we will be successful when she has her baby,” Ozkan said. “For now we are happy that the tissue is living.” Sert has already started to menstruate, which is an important sign that her womb is working without any rejection. From the ultrasounds doctors were able to tell the endometrium lining is healthy.
Only three medical centers in the world work on womb transplants, the others being in Sweden and the United States, New York.
A woman can live without a womb, but the only chance for her to get pregnant is a transplant. As a young woman, Sert has healthy ovaries and so the uterus is the best option for becoming a natural mother. However, the doctors want to remove the womb again after she has had her healthy baby through c-section, to prevent any risks of rejection. If no pregnancy is achieved after two years, the uterus will also be removed to minimise risks of anti-rejections drugs.
Derya Sert’s world-first womb transplant is a remarkable milestone for realigning female biology, “We would be so happy if I could be a hope for other women.”
:: Al Arabiya
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95% halal and freedom friendly, Zaufishan is our eco-Muslim reporter from England, UK. Zaufishan reports from her environment blog http://www.theecomuslim.com/ and is creator of the media savvy group site http://www.muslimness.com.
Hi I need dr omer ozkan phone number plz I need appointment
hello, I’m 24 year old girl born without uterus. it’s a very good news for me that i can born baby through transplant of uterus. how can i know the procedure of that.. and how can i contact with the dr. omer ozkan.
hope soon response from yours.
I’m 24 years old , virgin , suffered from cervix cancer . uterus , cervix & the upper part of the vagina was removed surgically in last march . I’m receiving radio & chemotherapy right now . My ovaries were fixed up outside the pelvis , as not to be affected by the radiotherapy . I’m muslim egyptian , so it’s forbidden to hire uterus . I need to have my own baby . I’ll can get married wirhin 6 month . Please assist . Allah gives me hope after i lost hope to get married & to have children .
Hello. I am a turk and wanted to see about the reaction about this news and end up at this site. I was not aware of that there are a lot of people out there suffering from similar condition just as this Turkish woman. For the ones who ask if procedure went ok. Apaarently, yes it did.It is officially confirmed that this woman got pregnant.
Also here is the website of the university hospital website
http://hastane.akdeniz.edu.tr/tr.s#i
and phone numbers for appointment
+902422496000
+902422496060
Also if anyone needs more help, they can ask me with an e-mail
[email protected]
pls give address and contact number
hello ..my doctor says that the size of my ovaries are too small…and it is impossible to cure the problem!i have heared about the succesful operation done by you….plz reply me….i will mail you further detailes of the reports…
Hello, my mate Jonathan and I want children, but du to cancer when younger I lost my uterus, we checked other options but it is unbearable for both of us, we want me to carry our children and to give them birth, we want to do that together, the two of us, it is the only missing thing in our lives, please, help us, how much? where? when? we will go please… we are a very happy couple, but we have a sadness that is I can’t carry a child du to my missing uterus… please. Help us
i am south africa and want to know where can i go for inplant of uterus
Contact the doctors in the original story for more advice.
hi i am 39 years old and had an hysterectomy after giving birth to my first and last child and now i am married and would like to have one more child,where can i go for more information here in South Africa?
To Black Diamond and others in her situation.
Your husband is no man, but rather a complete jerk. A real man would love you and stand by you, not belittle you. I wonder what he or others like him say when the problem is their crappy sperm count. You’re a woman and clearly more of a woman then he would know how to handle. You really don’t want to have a child with a person such as this man. I’d hate to think what he would be saying to a daughter who had this medical condition, or any other condition that meant she could not carry a child. Who knows maybe it is your gods way of not allowing such a jerk to reproduce and spread his ignorance on society. Tell him that next time he starts on you.
Hello everyone! my name is KAI I am 33 years old I was born with (MRKH). I was told I would never carry a child. so my husband thought I was use less to him, so he said peace out, and when I told him that i can get help he said that It was wast of time and he doesn’t have time for woman who can’t barrie a child . I prayed to god day and night that this day would came, and I am thankful to ALLAH,and all the Doctors who worked very hard to get as here. to all my sisters who are MRKH victims I say to you the wait is over the cure has arrived my sisters.
Name Surename :Professor ÖMER ÖZKAN
Telephone number:0242-2274343 (+90 for Turkey)
Görev Yeri:Tıp Fakültesi-Cerrahi Tıp Bilimleri Bölümü-Plastik, Rekonstrüktif ve Estetik Cer.
E-mail:[email protected]
http://www.akdeniz.edu.tr/
Here is contact info of Dr Özkan from University’s website.
Note: He and his team also succesfully carried out full face tranplant and 2 times limb transplant. Goodluck ladies
please contact me, this means the world to me. .hi i am a transgender 19 year old, i go by phoebe but my real name is jonathon. i read that men can bear children in their abdomen but it is risky and so i have not been able to find a doctor to do the envetro fertilization on me. i have wanted to be able to give birth for over 10 years. i have dreams at least once every month that im preganant and when i wake up i find myself crying uncontrolably and begging god to let me be able to give birth. this is so important to me bthat i am willing to lay my life on the line by being a doctors first test subject just so i can bear my own child. im hopeing to get my story out in the would so i can npossobly find a doctor to do the prosedure. i am also trying to get on talk shows, the news, and the new york times. i hope someone wants to hear my story, please help me make a muricle happen. i live in eugene oregon. please contact me, i am serious about being able to bear my own child, this means the world to me. thank you for reading. and i have my own blog and would love it if you could look at it. http://phoebetallulahchilds.blog.com/ please contact me before you conclude that this is just a hoax, you can contact me on: facebook under phoebe childs. trevor space under phoebe. my blog. and by phone: 541-543-4657. please i am begging you please contact me!
Hi….my name is jayshree kriplani from india even I am suffering from same problem absent of uterus and ovaries but in appearence am very beautiful girl with very long hair no one can guess dat I don’t hav uterus but I want to get uteus transplant pleazzzzzzzzzz help me ,suggest me and let me know its cure or sollution
Amen to that. God is indeed great. I am also one of those who had a hysterectomy due to ill health and now met someone great who desperately wants a child with me and this could be a breakthrough for some of us. please keep us posted
Praise God, I HAD A HESTERECTOMY AT THE AGE OF 20 DUE TO MEDICAL ISSUES, NOW I THINK I AM READY TO GET MARRIED AND HAVE MY OWN CHILDREN, I SO PRAY THAT THE PREGNANCY BECOMES A SUCCESS..PLEASE GIVE INFO ON THE DOCTOR OR PRICES FOR THE QUOTATION
I am vry much interested I removed my womb due to cancer threats,please advise i want a baby.
iam a 32 married woman ,i’ve lost my uterus after giving birth to my first and last child .im from Angola( Africa),if someone finds out how to contact a doctor about this procedure pls let me know!!
just want to add a womb inplant pls anyone who can help us pls comment and ill reply
im from south africa my wife also wnt a inplant can you help her please???
i am a 28 married women born without uterus.im so glad to know about successful uterus transplantation,this is a hope for me to have my own baby.plz inform me how to consult with a doctor through my email.
i am a 37 maried woman ,i’ve lost my uterus after giving birth to my first and last child .i hope to be a volonteer in these researches and i want to talk to the doctors who performed this succsesful operation to have their opinion about my case .
Absolutely amazing…when I was first diagnosed with MRKH in 1987 I was told that womb transplants would be possible in around 10 years time, well that time came and went. Im now 41 years old, married with 3 beautiful children, 1 via adoption and twins via host surrogacy here in the UK, if this is truly sucessful and a baby is born to this this lady and her husband it truly will be amazing, but for others out there, don’t be disheartened, there is always a way, just hold onto your dream and it will come to you somehow, someway,just remember this surgery can be life threatening, it certainly isn’t easy and as this article states this lady has been in hospital for 6 months already on constant care, the womb is a major organ with many complicated factors, good luck to everyone.
WOW!! This is amazing!! i am 18 years old and also married. i was born with the disorder mrkh and have the same issues as the lady above. I am so glad to hear that they have done a succesful transplant!! this has gave me so much hope (: praying that her new uterus works properly and she can have a baby of her own!!! if someone finds out how to contact a doctor about this procedure pleaseeeeeeeeeee let me know!! (:
i m 37 years old, 6 yeared married lady,suffering from the same situation,is this a hope for me also,is it the symptom of acceptance of my prayers for having my own baby.how can i access for this procedure and to whom.