First Uterus Transplant Surgery In The US Performed At Cleveland Clinic

It was Lindsey’s biggest wish to become pregnant and give birth since she was younger, but she was born without a uterus. Fortunately for her, things seemed to fall into place extremely quickly and she got her wish thanks to experts at the Cleveland Clinic, who performed a successful 9-hour transplant surgery. It was only minutes after Lindsey, 26, was placed on the waiting list for a transplant that a donor popped up. Director of solid organ transplantation at the Cleveland Clinic’s hospital in Weston, Fla., Dr. Andreas G. Tzakis, said he was completely shocked of the velocity at which things happened. “I really considered it an act of God,” he insisted.

In an effort to protect her family’s privacy, Lindsey only gave her and her husband Blake’s first names. The couple already has three adopted sons, but she really wanted to give birth to a child. “I have prayed that God would allow me the opportunity to experience pregnancy, and here we are at the beginning of that journey,” she said on Monday at a news conference, where doctors revealed details of her operation.

At the moment, 250 women have been evaluated to determine if they’re possible candidates and the clinic continues to do more screenings. So far, there is one woman on the waiting list as the Cleveland Clinic’s ethics panel has given the hospital permission to perform 10 uterine transplants in women ages 21 to 39.

UPDATE: The Cleveland Clinic announced that the surgery had in fact failed due to "complications" the patient presented. “We are saddened to share that our patient, Lindsey, recently experienced a sudden complication that led to the removal of her transplanted uterus,” the clinic said in a statement. The patient remains in good spirits despite having lost the transplated organ. “I just wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude towards all of my doctors,” Lindsey said in a statement. They acted very quickly to ensure my health and safety. Unfortunately, I did lose the uterus to complications. However, I am doing okay and appreciate all of your prayers and good thoughts.