Uterus transplantation and fertility preservation

Absolute uterine factor infertility (AUFI), with uterine absence or presence of a non-functional uterus, was considered untreatable until 2014, when the first child was born after transplantation of a uterus from a postmenopausal woman to a woman of fertile age who was born with no uterus, as a part of the Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. Concerning gynaecological cancer, AUFI may occur after hysterectomy for malignancy or after surgery/radiation that will preserve the uterus but causing non-functionality in terms of future implantation and pregnancy. This review summarises the research preparations that paved the way for the clinical introduction of uterus transplantation (UTx) as a treatment for AUFI. We also summarise the human UTx attempts that have been published as well as the live births reported thus far. The clinical use and procedures for UTx are also proposed for a number of gynaecological malignancies.