Radio Review: Miracle Baby – Womb transplant

The UK's first uterus transplant took place in August 2023, marking a significant milestone. Since then, my interest in this procedure has grown, although admittedly much of my understanding stems from the scientific and surgical aspects of this technique. When I came across a BBC Radio 5 Live News Special featuring the story of Prue Craven, Australia's third recipient of a uterus transplant, I was eager to learn more. This episode offered an opportunity to explore the human experience of this transformative surgery, broadening my perspective beyond its medical implications.

BioNews has long engaged with the topic of uterus transplants (see BioNews 1248, 1204 and 775). In fact, PET (the Progress Educational Trust) recently hosted an event marking ten years since the first live birth following a human uterus transplant (see BioNews 1266). Craven's story adds a new, personal dimension, focusing on a long-term experience of this journey, from adolescence to adulthood. It delves into Craven's struggle with infertility, and her pregnancy journey after undergoing a successful uterus transplant. This episode offers a poignant and relatable perspective for those intrigued by this innovative procedure.

The interview, hosted by Naga Munchetty, feels more like a comfortable chat than a formal discussion. It opens with Craven's diagnosis of Meyer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome aged 17. Individuals with this condition have functioning ovaries but are born without a uterus, so cannot carry a baby. Craven candidly shares the challenges of this diagnosis: 'It was quite a dark time for me... As a teenager, when you were just so desperate to fit in with everyone else, it makes you feel a bit like a freak.' MRKH syndrome is a rare disease, affecting approximately one in 5000 women worldwide. However, this figure still took me by surprise, as it was more common than I had anticipated.

Craven briefly outlines the challenging process of 'having surrogate transfers and miscarriages' when she and her partner decided to start trying for a family, ultimately ending with 'ten years of failed fertility treatments'. In 2019, when Craven learned of a clinical trial for uterine transplants in the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney, Australia, she immediately contacted the hospital to be considered for participation.

The key take-home message from this episode for me was the vital role of a strong support system, which can help bear the emotional toll when navigating such a difficult journey. Indeed, Craven admits, 'I'm lucky I've got amazing parents, and I had a good social worker, and my friends were really supportive.' It is greatly heartwarming to hear the earnest appreciation that Craven voices towards her friends and family throughout the episode. In fact, this support network was crucial in identifying a donor for her uterus transplant.

Craven's first choice for a uterus donor was her mother, but they were not a tissue match – a critical requirement to prevent rejection of the donor uterus. Fortunately, her mother's friend, Maddie, was a match and immediately volunteered to donate in 2023. Craven's sincere gratitude for Maddie's selflessness is evident, as she says, 'I was extremely grateful that [Maddie] was willing to do something like that for someone like me.' Following the surgery, Craven emotionally describes how she 'felt whole for the first time in such a long time.'

Munchetty then guides the conversation towards Craven's pregnancy. Having heard about her previous fertility struggles, I felt a sense of genuine relief and joy when she revealed that she successfully fell pregnant following her first embryo transfer. By this point in the episode, I was extremely invested in Craven's story, and I could not help but admire her unwavering strength and optimism. Despite having a difficult pregnancy, Craven embraced every moment, saying, 'Nothing could spoil how happy I was to experience that feeling.'

I found her birth experience particularly unique. Since her donor uterus lacked nerve connections to her own nervous system, Craven could not feel labour contractions, so her daughter, Rose, was delivered via Caesarean section. Reflecting on this experience, Craven described, 'I could see my stomach contracting in front of my eyes, but I couldn't feel it.' The episode concludes with a discussion on motherhood, and her plans for the future. Rose is now six months old, and Craven hopes to 'bring a second child into the world next year.' If this is successful, I very much look forward to following Craven's journey through a second pregnancy.

Munchetty aptly captures the struggle, saying, 'Infertility is hard if you have a uterus, let alone if you're told you have infertility and there's no chance of you becoming fertile.' Despite the weight of this topic, Craven's openness and vulnerability throughout the episode make her story deeply engaging.

I would definitely recommend listening to this episode: it is full of emotional highs and lows, and acts as a testament to resilience and hope. Uterus transplants are not a common procedure, so it is rare to hear such a personal insight into this surgery and its implications.

As Craven concludes, 'It's just amazing how far medicine and science has come, that this is an option to have a child now. I'm just grateful for every day that I've been given this chance.'