Bengaluru all set to perform South India's first womb transplant

Bengaluru-based fertility centre is now all set to perform the first womb transplant in South India Padmashree Dr Kamini Rao is all set to create history down South By the end of June, files to get cleared, paving the way for the surgery in July or August

May 18 of this year became an important date in the field of Indian medical history as the first womb transplant was conducted at Galaxy Care Laparoscopic Institution, Pune. Inspired by its success, Bengaluru-based fertility centre is now all set to perform the first womb transplant in South India.
Padmashree Dr Kamini Rao, a renowned name in treating childless couples, helps couples conceive through IVF technology from Milan Fertility Centre. And she is all set to create history with this womb transplant. Speaking to Newsable, Dr Rao said, her fertility centre needs to get form 20 clearance from state health department, which deals with the domicile of donors, recipients and also the surgery performing centre. 

“The central health ministry has cleared all the files and has also given permission for two uterine transplant surgeries. Now, local transplant committee alone needs to do their bit. By the end of June, we expect to get the files cleared, and hopefully we would be doing the surgery in July or August,” she said.
The first case of the womb transplant was done in Pune where the patient's mother was the donor. The doctors say that the transplant has given a new ray of hope to those women who have either under-developed uterus or born without the uterus.

A senior doctor from the team said, the hospital has been preparing for womb transplants over the past few months. Before such surgeries came into existence, recipients were made to undergo ovulation stimulation through IVF. Frozen embryos are implanted in the womb after transplantation for the couple to conceive.  In most of the cases, the childbirth can only be through caesarean.
“The surgery will take over 11 hours, and once the aspiring mother recovers from the operation, she has to be on immuno-suppressants for the rest of her life,” said a senior doctor.  

The procedure is expensive and costs around Rs 8 lakhs.
Before the surgery, both the donor and the recipient will undergo psychological analysis. Doctors talk to the donor and the recipient to make them understand the risks of the surgery and evaluate their physical fitness. 

In the next phase, the uterus is removed from the donor’s womb. The surgery performed under prolonged anaesthesia has a risk of cardiovascular and respiratory complications. There is a possibility of excessive bleeding as well. The agreeing party for the surgery will have to give an undertaking before the operation that they are aware of the risks involved.

In the last phase, doctors attach the uterus, after preserving in ice, to the recipient. The recipient is kept under a heavy dose of immuno-suppressant so that the body doesn’t reject the organ.

With this first-of-its-kind surgery down South, the desire for a new lease of life is born in every childless couple.