Womb transplants could take place in 'two years'

London, Oct 22 (ANI): The first-ever successful womb transplant will be carried out within two years, believe British scientists.

The boffins have worked out how to transplant a womb with a good blood supply, implying it lasts long enough to carry a pregnancy to term.

If something like this really does happen, then it could offer an alternative to adoption or surrogacy for women whose wombs have been damaged by diseases such as cervical cancer, reports The Independent.

Richard Smith, consultant gynaecological surgeon at Hammersmith Hospital in London, presented his latest research on rabbits at a US fertility conference.

Smith along with his team has set up a charity, Uterine Transplant UK. They say the first human transplant could be carried out within two years if they raise enough funds.

The team needs 25,000 pounds for the next area of research and 250,000 pounds to complete a set of studies but have been denied grants by several medical research bodies.

In their study, five rabbits received a womb using a "vascular patch technique", which connected major blood vessels. Of the five, two rabbits lived to 10 months and tests after death showed the transplants were a success. (ANI)