The parents of the world’s first womb-transplant baby spoke on Monday of their joy and said they hoped the birth would inspire other women struggling with infertility.
The mother was born without a uterus but after receiving a transplant gave birth to a healthy but premature son last month in Sweden.
In her first interview, she told TheAssociatedPress that she had endured years of sorrow – but now felt “fantastic”. She agreed to the interview provided neither her identity – nor her location in Sweden – was disclosed.
Cradling her young son, she said she still could not believe she was finally a mother, after being told at 15 years of age that she had no womb and would never carry her own children.
Now 36-years-old, she was one of nine women to received a transplanted womb last year in a ground-breaking trial led by Dr Mats Brannstrom, a professor of gynaecology and obstetrics at the University of Gothenburg and Stockholm IVF (in vitro fertilisation).
The uterus was donated by a 61-year-old family friend.
Dr Brannstrom said the breakthrough opened the way for thousands of similarly-affected women to have families. As for the baby, named Vincent, which means “to conquer”, he remains blissfully unaware of the trials and tribulations endured by his parents before he was born.
They said they would tell Vincent the full story when he is older and expressed the hope this would inspire him to become a doctor in later life.
