Women without a uterus will now have a chance to bear children as uterus transplant, an advanced technology that has gained much ground across the world in reproductive medicine, would soon be available in India.

The technology has great potential to benefit women who are either born without a uterus or lost it to a disease.

Sources said the Medical Council of India (MCI) has granted a temporary registration to Dr Mats Brannstron, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, to carry out the procedure in India. Brannstron led an operation in October 2014 in Sweden in which a healthy baby was born to a uterine transplant recipient for the first time. He has collaborated with a Bengaluru-based fertility centre, Milann, along with HCG Hospitals to bring the technology of uterus transplantation to India. However, the process is under strict regulation of the state and Central government.

"Two conferences and lectures by Dr Brannstrom in India have been organised to educate doctors on the technique and outcomes of his work in Sweden. A team of doctors and hospitals with infrastructure and expertise to support the procedure have also been identified," said Dr Kamini A Rao, member of the National Advisory Committee for framing guidelines on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), Union Health Ministry and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

"A registry of 15 patients who would benefit and wish to undergo the procedure has already been prepared. The process for regulatory and ethical clearance from various government bodies and Committees (Karnataka state and Centre) for permission to conduct the procedure is ongoing," she said.

Around one in 5,000 women is born with a genetic condition called MRKH (Mayer Rokitansky Kster Hauser) syndrome, where a woman is born without a uterus. MRKH syndrome is a congenital abnormality, characterised by the absence of the vagina, cervix and the uterus. Uterus transplants are emerging as a boon for women with uterine factor infertility, as the only existing options are surrogacy or adoption, both of which may not be acceptable to all, due to either religious, cultural or legal issues.

"The procedure portends to benefit all patients with uterine factorrelated infertility and is the most significant breakthrough in reproductive medicine since the birth of Louise Brown, the world's first IVF baby. If all the approvals are done, doctors in India would perform the transplant next month. Doctors in India, who have extensive experience in other organ transplants, they will attain expertise in this also," said Dr Rao.

The procedure involves three stages. In the first stage oocytes (eggs) harvested from the recipient are used to create embryos. These embryos are frozen for future implantation.

The second stage involves the transplantation where the uterus is harvested from a related donor. The organ is then prepared and placed into the pelvic cavity of the recipient. The uterus assumes normal function over a period of six months. The third stage involves the implantation of the cryo-preserved embryos and follows up till the pregnancy.

Opening doors to new tech

