Swedish Womb Transplant Update

One of the nine women who received uterus transplants in Sweden earlier this year has now had a fertilized embryo transferred into her body. The embryo is from the woman's own egg, so if it implants and if she can carry to term, the resultant baby would be her genetic child. The woman suffered from MRKH syndrome, which prevents proper uterine development but does not affect ovaries or eggs. The donated uterus came from the woman's own mother, so if the procedure works, she would not only be the first woman to bear a live child with a donor uterus, but also the first woman to bear a child with the uterus from which she, herself, earlier emerged.

Egg Donors and Stem Cell Research

This piece from the Atlantic (summarizing this article from Fertility and Sterility) says that most fertility clinics which accept donor eggs for fertility treatments, and which donate at least some "excess" embryos for research, fail to inform egg donors of the possibility that their eggs might be used in stem-cell research. Most of the surveyed clinics told donors that they would not have control over the future uses of their eggs or the embryos made from them, and 30% mentioned the possibility of research use, but very few mentioned stem-cell research by name. This ought to be remedied. I doubt that most women who are willing to donate eggs for fertility treatment have serious opposition to the use of their eggs in fertility research or in stem-cell research, but a few might. They should be given the information.