Ahmedabad: Opening new frontiers in female reproductive medicine in the country, Institute of Kidney Diseases & Research Centre (IKDRC) on Saturday announced uterus transplantation procedure for the treatment of absolute uterine factor infertility (AUFI) condition. With this announcement, IKDRC has become the first public sector healthcare facility in India to offer uterus transplant bringing relief to hundreds of women unable to conceive due to AUFI.

“Uterus transplant at IKDRC has come as a boon for females with AUFI condition who are not only socially stigmatised but also undergo deep emotional stress for not able to produce a child,” said Dr Vineet Mishra, Director IKDRC-ITS. According to Dr Mishra, the institute will initially encourage only live related transplants in which close biologically related kin of a female with AUFI condition could participate at their own volition. The uterus donors shall be, ideally, between the age group of 30-60 years with healthy uterus.

“We have drawn up plans to commence cadaver uterus transplant in near future depending upon results of live related transplants,” added Dr Mishra. The institute has also made arrangements to offer pre and post uterus transplant care at negligible or no cost under various state government schemes for various groups, he said.

The state authorisation committee, the apex body to regulate organ transplantation in the state, gave its permission to IKDRC earlier this month to open Uterus Transplantation Centre as per provisions of The Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994.

Like any other organ transplantation, State Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (SOTTO) would process registration requests through a computer controlled centralised system for uterus transplant.

As per an estimate around 15 percent of India’s female population has infertility related issues and 1 in 10000 females have absent uterus. AUFI condition refers to infertility that is completely attributable to uterine absence (congenital or surgical) or an abnormality (anatomic or functional) that prevents embryo implantation or completion of pregnancy to term.

DeshGujarat