Uterus transplants in the US show technique largely successful to achieve live birth
A new Penn Medicine study evaluates the outcomes of 60 uterus transplants and finds the procedure has matured from an experimental intervention into a replicable clinical therapy for people born without a uterus.
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Adecade of uterus transplantation in the United States has resulted in dozens of healthy births and steadily improving surgical outcomes, according to a new national review led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine. The study finds that 70% of uterus transplant recipients achieve at least one live birth (or were still pregnant beyond 20 weeks when the study closed), demonstrating that the procedure has matured from an experimental intervention into a replicable clinical therapy for people born without a uterus or those whose uteruses cannot support pregnancy.
The findings, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, summarize outcomes from 60 uterus transplants performed between 2016 and 2025 at the four U.S. centers that have offered the procedure. The analysis represents nearly the entire U.S. experience with uterus transplantation and includes surgical, reproductive, neonatal, and early childhood developmental outcomes.
“One of the reasons I went into obstetrics was to help give more people opportunities to start a family, and I’m proud of the work my colleagues and I have done at Penn to advance this treatment,” said senior study author Kathleen E. O’Neill, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Penn and the director of the Penn Uterus Transplant Program. “The data from this analysis show that uterus transplant is an effective way for women to achieve pregnancy and have children. It should be part of the conversation alongside adoption and gestational surrogacy, and these data give patients and their doctors the information they need to decide whether it’s the right path for them.”
