Stage Set For India's First Womb Transplants

Giving new hope to childless couples, India’s first uterine transplant is going to be done soon on three recipients with different problems as their mothers agree to donate uteruses.

- Shalini Bhardwaj

Stage has been set to carry out uterine trans-plants in India and Pune’s Galaxy Care Laparoscopy Institute (GCLI) is likely to be first hospital in the country to conduct this groundbreaking medical procedure.

Richa is one of the three patients on whom uterine transplants will be carried out. This childless woman, who never got menstrual cycle,underwent various medical tests including Sonography and came to know about the absence of uterus in her body. Richa’s mother Santosh, who could not see her loneliness without baby, has agreed to donate her uterus to her daughter. After the successful transplantation by the team of doctors, Richa will become India’s first uterine transplant recipient, providing her baby with a womb which once home to her for nine months.

“Another one suffers from scarring (adhesions) of the uterus (Asherman’s syndrome) and the other woman’s uterus was removed due to cancer three years ago. The donors are their own mothers and the first transplants are going to be conducted for free,” said DrShailesh Puntambekar, Medical Director, Galaxy Care Laparoscopy Institute, Pune.

The transplant costs around ₹ 7-8 lakh, but the hospital will do it for free. Richa will go under the knife for womb transplantation on May 14 at the institute, which is the first to get the permission from the government of Maharashtra for the surgery.