Soon, men may have the ability to become pregnant and have babies thanks to groundbreaking advancement in uterus transplant surgeries.
A fertility doctor says that in theory, men could attempt to become pregnant as soon as “tomorrow” thanks to advances in uterus transplant surgeries. But other experts say that such a procedure won’t happen anytime soon because many more studies are needed to know whether it could be done safely.
Dr. Richard Paulson, the outgoing president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), said he thinks it would be possible to perform uterus transplants on transgender women, who are born male and transition to female, according to The Telegraph. Speaking at ASRM’s annual meeting, he said he sees no biological reason why the procedure wouldn’t work in the male body.
But other experts point out that the procedure isn’t even mainstream for women, let alone men.
There are a number of risks involved with uterus transplantation, Aftab said. The surgery itself is a complicated procedure that requires the organ to be properly connected to the body’s veins and arteries so that it has an adequate blood supply. If there is a problem with the blood supply, the organ will start to die, she said. In addition, people who undergo any organ transplant need to take medications to suppress their immune system so that the body does not reject the organ. But these medications can also increase a person’s risk of developing infections.
Uterus transplants are “still highly experimental,”said Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics and head of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York University’s School of Medicine. This means that the procedure is still being studied for its safety and effectiveness in women, and it is performed only as part of experimental trials.
Right now, the risks of the procedure for someone with male anatomy are so great, “it would be very difficult to think it’s something that would be feasible in the short-term future,” Aftab said. But it’s conceivable that with additional research, doctors would get to a point where the risks are much lower, she said.
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