First uterus transplant in US fails two weeks after procedure

The first uterus transplant completed in the US has failed, with the organ being removed in light of a “serious complication” developed by its recipient, according to The New York Times. The Cleveland Clinic performed the procedure two weeks ago, giving the uterus to a 26-year-old woman who was born without one. The full healing process was expected to take a year, with the patient taking anti-rejection drugs to aid her body’s acceptance of the organ.

The Cleveland Clinic didn’t specify why the uterus had to be removed beyond mentioning the development of a complication, according to the Times. The woman appears to have been fine until Tuesday, when a problem is reported to have suddenly developed. The uterus has now been removed and is being analyzed to determine what went wrong. The woman says that she’s recovering okay.

Uterus transplants are still considered experimental surgeries. They’ve been completed nine times in Sweden, leading to four women giving birth. But in the US, the Cleveland Clinic is the first organization to receive permission to try one. It’s allowed to perform 10 uterus transplants and has been hoping to turn them in a regular procedure, with the goal of helping women give birth when they have no uterus or a uterus that doesn’t properly function. This is clearly a setback toward that goal, but the clinic says it has every plan of continuing onward.