Surgeon Has Plans to Transplant a Uterus Into a Transgender Female

An Indian physician from New Delhi hopes to perform a uterine transplant on a transgender woman in the hope that she would be able to not only fall pregnant, but give birth to a healthy child thanks to the donor womb she receives.

Dr. Narendra Kaushik, who runs the Olmec Transgender Surgery Institute, seems unfazed by the risks involved and says he is “very, very positive” that he shall succeed in his endeavors.

In 1931, an effort was made to perform a uterus transplant on a transgender woman. The painter and transgender woman is known as Lili Elbe, who would later be the basis for the film The Danish Girl, had the procedure. However, she had a heart attack three months later, which was brought on by an infection that she had caught during the treatment.

It should be noted, however, that in 2018, a woman who was born without a uterus because of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome had a uterus transplant from a departed donor. This allowed the woman to have a baby, which was another first for the medical field.

According to Dr. Kashik in an interview with The Mirror: “Every transgender woman wants to be as female as possible. And that includes being a mother. The way towards this is with a uterine transplant, the same as a kidney or any other transplant.” Dr. Kashik went on to say: “This is the future. We cannot predict exactly when this will happen but it will happen very soon. We have our plans and we are very very optimistic about this.”

While the New Delhi surgeon seems to feel this way, The transgender community does not seem to have an especially strong interest in undergoing the operation. However, According to the results of a study and survey conducted on transgender women in 2021, ninety percent of respondents thought that receiving a uterus implant will enhance their quality of life as well as alleviate dysphoric symptoms, and enhance feelings of femininity.

You may be wondering where the donated organ would come from. According to The Mirror, the uterus that will be utilized for the procedure is likely to come from the body of a deceased donor. According to a study that was conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information in 2019, specialists believe that obtaining a uterovaginal transplant from a donor who has passed away would be the safest option out of all alternatives. This treatment would cut down on the amount of time spent in surgery, as well as the likelihood of various issues occurring for the receiver, in addition to the obvious reduction in danger for the donor, who is already deceased.

Dr. Kaushik did not provide any information about the timing of this procedure; however, he did state that there should not be too much more of a wait.