A US clinic has delivered a healthy baby girl from a mother whose womb was transplanted from a dead donor, a birth that marks a first in North America.

On Tuesday, the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio said in a statement on its website that the baby made history when she was born last month.

Uma Perni, MD, Cleveland Clinic maternal fetal medicine specialist said: “We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. Everything went wonderfully with the delivery; the mother and baby girl are doing great.”

The mother, who underwent a womb transplant in 2017 from a deceased donor, is part of an ongoing trial of 10 women with uterine factor infertility (UFI), meaning she did not have a uterus or had had her uterus removed.

Through in-vitro fertilisation, the woman became pregnant in late 2018 and welcomed the child in June via Caesarean section.

Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation Show all 11 1 /11 Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation The pioneering procedure was carried out after tests revealed Bethan Simpson's child had Spina Bifida Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation Doctors treated Bethany's unborn baby outside her womb in a ground-breaking operation. The pioneering treatment was done at 24 weeks of pregnancy Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation Bethan Simpson and her mother-in-law in hospital Following a routine 20-week scan, it emerged that the baby’s head was not the right measurement, and the child’s spinal cord had not fully developed Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation Bethan Simpson in hospital Ms Simpson and her husband Kieron were given three options: continue the pregnancy as is, terminate the pregnancy, or opt for a fetal repair surgery. She opted for the latter Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation The 26-year-old from Burnham, Essex said: “We had to do it. We also had to meet some seriously strict criteria. Me and baby went through amniocentesis and MRI and relentless scans. We got approved on the 17th December we planned for surgery. Our lives were such a rollercoaster for the next few weeks.” Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation The mother-to-be, who is due to give birth in April, had the specialised surgery at the University College London Hospital, where doctors from Great Ormond Street Hospital worked to repair the baby's spine Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation The surgery involved removing the baby from Ms Simpson’s womb and repairing the spinal cord before placing her back in the womb for the remainder of the pregnancy Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation Ms Simpson is only the fourth mother in the UK to undergo the procedure Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation Recallign the surgery said: “I had the most recognised surgeons from around the world from University College London Hospital and Belgium looking after me.” Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation She added that it was sad that 80% of babies in England are terminated when their parents get told their baby has Spina Bifida. “It's not a death sentence. She has the same potential as every one of us,” she said. "Yes, there are risks of things going wrong but please think more about Spina Bifida, it's not what it used to be." Bethan Simpson Baby operated on outside of womb for ground-breaking operation She added: “I feel our baby kick me day in and day out, that's never changed. She's extra special, she's part of history and our daughter has shown just how much she deserves this life.” Bethan Simpson

The mother is one of five women who have undergone uterine transplantations from recently deceased donors, three of which have been successful. Two of the transplants resulted in hysterectomies.

Currently, two women are awaiting embryo transfers, according to the clinic.

The healthy baby was born in June via C-section (Cleveland Clinic)

“The transplantation of a uterus into a woman is a complex procedure that requires suppression of her immune system response,” says transplant surgeon Andreas Tzakis. “Through this research, we aim to make these extraordinary events ordinary for the women who choose this option. We are grateful to the donor. Their generosity allowed our patient’s dream to come true and a new baby to be born.”

The process of uterus transplantation was pioneered by a Swedish doctor, with a Swedish woman becoming the first to deliver a healthy baby after a uterus transplant from a living donor in 2014.

In December 2017, doctors in Brazil delivered the world’s first baby born using a deceased donor’s womb.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the aim of the trial is to provide hope for the one in 500 women worldwide of child-bearing age who are unable to give birth due to UFI.

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“It’s important to remember this is still research,” Perni said. “The field of uterus transplantation is rapidly evolving, and it’s exciting to see what the options may be for women in the future.”