In 2012 and 2013, nine uterus transplants were performed at the University of Gothenburg by a team of doctors and researchers. The transplants were performed on Swedish women and used organs from live donors, becoming the first live organ-donor uterus transplants ever performed in the world.

Despite long surgeries, the women who have undergone transplantation have done well, and researchers have found that the risk associated with the surgery is quite low. With the success of the transplants documented, the next step in the process is using IVF treatment to help these women become pregnant.

Mats Brannstrom, head physician, professor of OBGYN and lead researcher announced in March that four of the women who had undergone the uterus transplant had already had been treated with IVF, having embryos transferred to their new uterus.

"We have already begun transferring embryos into four of the women and plan to make attempts with the others when they are ready," Brannstrom said. Brannstrom would not comment on whether any of the women have become pregnant yet.

The transplant research being conducted is intended to benefit other women who cannot bear children due to uteri complications. Brannstrom is predicting that several of the women may be able to give birth successfully, giving hope to couples with infertility concerns.

To help ensure the transplants are a success, the team of doctors plans to carefully monitor the pregnancy while administering low doses of antirejection drugs to avoid problems with organ rejection.

While the transplantation experiment looks promising, some doctors like Yacoub Khalaf worry that the blood flow to the uterus could become problematic for the patients during pregnancy.

"We really don't know if the blood flow to the uterus will increase and adapt in the same way," said Khalaf, the director of assisted conception at Guy's and St. Thomas' hospital in London. "It is a good sign that they have done the transfers."

However, Khalaf feels that the only real validation that the uterus transplantations have been a success will be a successful pregnancy and live birth.

The results of this surgery and the pregnancies are being closely monitored by multiple research groups who await the results before they launch similar studies on uterus transplantation. Women unable to conceive are also anticipating the results, as a successful pregnancy after uterus transplantation would change the infertility landscape drastically.

This study is the first of its kind and continues to monitor quality of life, as well as medical and psychological parameters among women who have undergone transplantation.

The one negative result of the transplantation is that women will have to have their womb removed after two pregnancies. This may be considered a small price to pay in exchange for the miracle of birth, and researchers will continue to progress in finding solutions for this risk and for infertility in general.