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Framing the Conceptualization of Uterus Transplantation: A Mixed Methods Study

A. Wall1, L. Johannesson1, M. Sok2, A. Warren3, E. Gordon4, G. Testa1

1Abdominal Transplant Surgery, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 2Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 3Trauma and Critical Care, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 4Northwestern University, Dallas, TX

Meeting: 2021 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: 110

Keywords: Informed consent

Topic: Clinical Science » Ethics » Non-Organ Specific: Economics & Ethics

Session Information

Session Name: Potpourri of Public Policy and Allocation

Session Type: Rapid Fire Oral Abstract

Date: Sunday, June 6, 2021

Session Time: 4:30pm-5:30pm

 Presentation Time: 5:05pm-5:10pm

Location: Virtual

*Purpose: Absolute uterine factor infertility (AUFI) affects 1-5% of women of child-bearing age, and was recently the only untreatable cause of infertility. Clinical trials have demonstrated the feasibility and reproducibility of uterus transplantation (UTx) to treat UFI. Because UTx aims to enhance the quality of life among women with UFI by enabling them to experience pregnancy and child-birth, clinical feasibility is not enough to ethically justify this procedure. The experiences of women who undergo UTx must truly be life-enhancing to justify the risks of surgery and immunosuppression. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of UTx recipients regarding their experiences with infertility and UTx, and their responses to societal perceptions of UTx.

*Methods: Semi-structured interviews of UTx recipients from a single center. Interviews were conducted by phone or in-person, audio recorded, transcribed, and coded independently by two analysts. Qualitative data were analyzed for themes. Quantitative demographic and transformed qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

*Results: Twenty of twenty UTx recipients consented to participate and completed interviews. Thematic saturation occurred at 12 interviews. Major themes and representative quotations are shown in the figure.

*Conclusions: All interviewees were negatively affected by their diagnosis of AUFI and found value in uterus transplantation, even recipients with early graft failures or miscarriages. Our study reports the first insights into the personal experiences of UTx recipients, demonstrating both personal perceptions of the value of uterus transplantation and the profound effect of UFI on women who seek this option.

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To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Wall A, Johannesson L, Sok M, Warren A, Gordon E, Testa G. Framing the Conceptualization of Uterus Transplantation: A Mixed Methods Study [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2021; 21 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/framing-the-conceptualization-of-uterus-transplantation-a-mixed-methods-study/. Accessed May 11, 2025.

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