A woman born without a uterus just gave birth


A woman in Dallas recently became the first person in the United States born without a uterus to successfully give birth, Time reported Friday. The woman, who declined to give her name for the story, is one of eight people in an experimental trial at Baylor University Medical Center in which a uterus is transplanted into a woman born with a nonexistent or dysfunctional organ. Although three previous uterine transplants at Baylor had failed, eight babies have been born to mothers with transplanted uteruses in Sweden in a similar trial.
Dr. Liza Johannesson, an ob-gyn and transplant surgeon at Baylor who also worked on uterine transplants in Sweden, told Time, "We've been waiting for this moment for a very long time. I think everyone had tears in their eyes when the baby came out. I did for sure." The Cesarean birth was made possible by a 36-year-old nurse who donated her uterus to Baylor's transplant program after hearing about it on the news. Time notes that most of the uterus recipients are between the ages of 20 and 35, but that donors — who can be either alive or dead — must be between 30 and 60.
The one catch with this medical miracle? It's very expensive. Time says that the cost of a uterine transplant — which insurance companies are reluctant to pay for — could be as much as $500,000. Dr. Giluiano Testa, who leads Baylor's uterine transplant trial, said, "The reality is that it's going to be very difficult for many women to afford this."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Read the full story at Time.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published