Health Conditions A-Z Reproductive Health Pregnancy Baby Making 2.0: How a Uterine Transplant Works Here's what you should know about the controversial new procedure. By Health.com Editorial Team Health.com Editorial Team An article by 'Health.com Editorial Team' indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors may contribute to an article over the years. These collaborations allow Health.com editors to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available. The editors at Health.com are a dedicated team of experienced health editors, writers, and other media professionals who strive to bring trustworthy and responsible health and medical content to their readers. As a team, we have decades of experience in health journalism, and have worked at legacy publishers and some of the biggest news and media companies in the U.S. health's editorial guidelines Updated on December 18, 2019 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Getty Images Science watchers are buzzing about the newest frontier in reproductive technology: uterine transplants. The goal is to allow women born without a uterus, or those who have had theirs removed or have one that doesn’t function properly, to carry their own pregnancies. But the controversial procedure is still in the early experimental stages, experts warn, and comes with serious downsides. Uterine transplants involve at least two surgeries and transplant rejection medications, as well as in vitro fertilization, explains Taraneh Shirazian, MD, a gynecologic surgeon at NYU Langone Medical Center. "The multiple surgeries also leave the patient vulnerable to complications," she adds—like bladder or bowel damage or infection. (The first uterine transplant in the U.S., performed last winter by the Cleveland Clinic, reportedly failed due to a yeast infection.) Why try? “Many women want to experience pregnancy,” says Lisa Campo-Engelstein, PhD, professor of reproductive ethics at Albany Medical College. "They want to feel what it’s like to give birth to their own genetically related child." Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit