British woman to have womb transplanted to daughter

London: A 56-year-old British woman is on way to creating history - she will donate her womb to her 25-year-old daughter, making her the first in the world to take part in such a medical procedure.

Eva Ottosson agreed to take part in the medical procedure where she would donate her uterus to her daughter Sara, The Telegraph reported.

Doctors are hoping that if the transplant is successful, Sara - who was born without reproductive organs - could carry a child in the same womb from which she herself was born.

The transplant could take place next spring in Gothenburg, Sweden.

"My daughter and I are both very rational people and we both think 'it's just a womb'. She needs the womb and if I'm the best donor for her...well, go on. She needs it more than me. I've had two daughters so it's served me well," Ottosson - who runs a lighting business in Nottingham - was quoted as saying.

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Sara - who works in Stockholm - has a condition called Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser syndrome, which affects around one in 5,000 people. She was born without a uterus and some parts of the vagina.

If the transplant works, Sara expects to have her own eggs fertilised using her boyfriend's sperm.

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Sara said she was not concerned about the implications of receiving the womb.

"I haven't really thought about that. I'm a biology teacher and it's just an organ like any other organ. But my mum did ask me about this. She said 'isn't it weird?' And my answer is no. I'm more worried that my mum is going to have a big operation."

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Mats Brannstrom, who is leading the medical team, said such a transplant remained one of the most complex surgeries.

"Technically, it is lot more difficult than transplanting a kidney, liver or heart. The difficulty with it is avoiding haemorrhage and making sure you have long enough blood vessels to connect the womb."

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According to reports, the only previous womb transplant took place in Saudi Arabia in 2000. A 26-year-old woman -- who had lost her uterus due to haemorrhage -- reportedly received a donated womb from a 46-year-old. However, the recipient developed problems and the womb had to be removed after 99 days.