We have received a request from Dr Benjamin Jones who is the clinical research fellow coordinating the UK womb transplantation programme and is currently undertaking a PhD at Imperial College London. He is actively researching the viability of undertaking womb transplants as part of gender reassignment as legally, ethically and morally he is a firm believer that it should be performed, if found to be viable. At least 60 cases of womb transplantation have now been undertaken worldwide, and at least 15 live births have been reported as a result. As such he has concluded that it appears to be a suitable treatment for natal women with womb related infertility. Following these developments, speculation has escalated regarding the possibility of performing UTx in male to female transgender women, which would enable them to gestate and give birth to their own children.
The UK womb transplant research team hypothesise that whilst there are additional anatomical, hormonal, fertility and obstetric complexities, modification to the surgical technique can still make the procedure feasible in transgender women.However, prior to undertaking womb transplantation in transgender women, further research is needed to confirm that the operation is achievable.
The UK womb transplant research team, through Imperial College London, is currently undertaking a study that uses an online questionnaire to assess the perceptions and desire for UTx amongst male to female transgender women. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete. This work is essential to help gauge future demand for the procedure, prior to undertaking the necessary future research studies.
If you are a transgender woman, who is over the age of 16 years old and interested in taking part, please contact info@wombtransplantuk.org for further information. Dr Jones and his colleagues have published an article about some of the issues. To read the article, click here: