The laying of human organs begins in the very first weeks of the mother's pregnancy. In some cases, a woman does not even know that a new life is already beginning to form in her. During this period, all external influences, food and the emotional state of the mother affect the process of fetal formation. During such an important period of cell division, factors that disrupt the processes of conjugation, mitosis and meiosis can affect them. As a result, the fetus may have disorders in the structure and function of organs, or their absence (aplasia).
Aplasia of the uterus. When and how does the pathology manifest itself?
In the world every year one girl is born per 4-5 thousand of the population with the absence or underdevelopment of the uterus. Congenital aplasia of the uterus is called the Rokitansky-Klostner syndrome. This is a disease that develops in women with a normal set of chromosomes at an early stage of intrauterine development.
Women have a normal body type. The absence of the uterus is discovered by chance during a gynecological examination. In this case, the vagina may either be absent too, or have the appearance of a blind sac. In the presence of a uterus, but its underdevelopment (agenesis), it may look like a hollow organ with one or two horns and underdeveloped thin tubes.
Agenesis or aplasia of the uterus is detected in adolescence by the absence of menstruation and pain in the lower abdomen. Ovaries with agenesis or aplasia of the uterus are present and normally perform their function, as evidenced by the normal level of hormones in the blood and the timely and correct development of the mammary glands and secondary sexual characteristics. There have been cases of uterine aplasia when trying to have intercourse.
This pathology is a problem of the future, as the inability to reproduce the genus affects the physical and moral condition of the woman. In addition to congenital anomalies in the development of the uterus, many women lose their reproductive organ due to oncological processes in the uterus and appendages, as well as due to difficult childbirth. This further increases the number of women who have lost the chance of motherhood.
How to help women with uterine aplasia? Is a uterus transplant possible?
The issue of uterine transplantation has recently become more and more relevant in medicine. British scientists have come to grips with this issue. Already last year, the first child was born after a uterus transplant to a 36-year-old Swede who was born without a uterus. The donor was a 61-year-old woman, a friend of the patient.
The result was a completely healthy baby. After this incident, specialists from the UK received approval to carry out such operations, and already in 2017, clinical trials will be conducted in which 10 women will transplant the uterus. The process is very complicated, since the uterus must not only take root, but also have enough blood supply, and significantly increase in size during pregnancy. This makes the operation of uterine transplantation difficult.
How is a uterus transplant performed? Childbirth after transplantation
In the trial, embryos will be harvested for each participant based on their own eggs and partner sperm. A team of 12 surgeons will be involved in the transplantation process. During the operation, each woman will receive a uterus from a donor - with preserved heart function, but after the death of his brain.
It is estimated that organ harvesting will take up to 3 hours, and uterus transplantation to the recipient will take up to 6 hours. In the postoperative period, patients will receive immunosuppressive therapy for 1 year to reduce the risk of organ rejection. If the operation is successful, as well as in the absence of complications after the operation, each patient will be implanted with their embryos. After pregnancy, such women will be offered delivery by caesarean section.
Thus, discoveries in medicine give patients a chance not only for life and health, but also for motherhood. This discovery gives hope to many women with pathology or absence of the uterus to carry a child and become a mother.
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