Health
1News

Swedish woman undergoes a womb transplant by robot in world first

January 10, 2019
Pregnancy

In a world first a Swedish woman has become pregnant after having a womb transplant performed by a robot.

The procedure was done in Sweden in 2017 and the mother-to-be is expecting a child in spring this year, according to the Daily Mail.

Uterus transplants involve surgically removing the womb of one woman and implanting it into one who cannot have a baby naturally.

When the woman, whose name and age are unknown, gives birth she will be only the 14th person ever to have a baby after a womb transplant.

Doctors say using robots for the procedure has ‘a great future’ and makes surgery less damaging for donors.

Using surgical robots allows the procedure to be done through five 1cm-wide holes in the donor’s body – unlike much bigger cuts needed by human surgeons.

This means the patients lose less blood and spend less time in hospital after donating their womb, experts say.

"I think robotic surgery has a great future in this area... ...the donor loses less blood, the hospital stay is shorter, and the patient feels better after surgery," said Professor Mats Brannstrom, a world-leading researcher in the field.

The robot is controlled by two surgeons who use joysticks which convert their movements into millimetre-precise motions in the robot arms.

Five other woman have undergone womb transplants through robotic surgery at the University of Gothenburg.  However, none of them have become pregnant.

SHARE ME

More Stories