Surgeons preparing to perform the first uterus transplant in the U.S.

Surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic are hopeful that within a few months, they'll be able to successfully transplant a uterus into a woman who doesn't have one, but wants to get pregnant and give birth.

Women without a uterus or those who have a damaged organ can be considered for the surgery, The New York Times reports. Doctors will take the uterus, cervix, and part of the vagina out of a deceased donor, and will then connect the uterus to the recipient's vagina. She will be put on anti-rejection drugs, and after a year of healing, in vitro fertilization can start (because the transplanted uterus won't be connected to fallopian tubes, a natural pregnancy won't be able to take place). Once a woman becomes pregnant, she'll be considered high-risk, and the baby will have to be born via c-section before its due date in order to prevent the uterus from being strained during labor.

Because of safety concerns, a woman can only have one or two babies with her transplanted uterus; it can be removed surgically, or doctors say she can stop taking her anti-rejection pills and the uterus will wither away. Women have to be healthy and pass an intense screening process to ensure they are not being pressured into the transplant and they have support at home. In Sweden, nine women have had transplants and four have given birth to healthy babies, and at the Cleveland Clinic, they hope to perform 10 experimental procedures before deciding if they should continue. There are eight women being screened now, including one 26-year-old who told the Times she "craves" the experience of being pregnant. She was born without a uterus, and says she wants "the morning sickness, the backaches, the feet swelling. I want to feel the baby move. That is something I've wanted for as long as I can remember."

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