A Japanese research team has applied for approval to conduct the country's first clinical study on uterus transplants.

Researchers at Japan's Fujita Health University have submitted plans to perform womb transplants for women born without a uterus.

Led by Professor Iori Kisu, the medical team aims to carry out the country's first uterus transplant procedure by fiscal 2027.

Fujita Health University Seeks Approval for Historic Procedure

The trial will involve transplanting uteri donated by living relatives, such as mothers, into three women aged in their 20s and 30s.

Prior to surgery, doctors will retrieve and fertilise the recipients' eggs through in vitro fertilisation. Once surgeons confirm the recipient's body has not rejected the transplanted organ, they will transfer an embryo to achieve pregnancy.

Professor Kisu estimated the total cost at 20 million to 25 million yen (£102,000 to £127,000) per patient.

'I would like to give women the possibility of giving birth to a child they have carried themselves', Kisu stated.

Patient recruitment will commence as soon as the university review committee formally approves the application. Kisu previously conducted uterus transplant research at Keio University in Tokyo, but he is now withdrawing that earlier proposal.

Global Clinical Success Rates and High Live-Birth Statistics

Read more

Absolute uterine factor infertility affects approximately one in 500 women worldwide due to congenital absence, surgical removal, or organ defects.

Since the world's first successful birth in Sweden in 2014, clinicians have performed more than 150 uterus transplants globally. These procedures have resulted in the births of more than 80 healthy children across international medical centres.

A US national review led by Penn Medicine evaluated 60 transplants performed between 2016 and 2025 across four specialised facilities.

The study revealed that 70 per cent of recipients achieved a live birth or maintained a pregnancy past 20 weeks. At Baylor University Medical Center, the world's largest centre, 27 out of 44 transplant recipients have given birth.

'These women that are told they would never carry a pregnancy — to see them go through that pregnancy and childbirth, it's extraordinary', said transplant surgeon Dr Liza Johannesson.

One trial participant recalled her personal motivation to join the Baylor programme.

'I wanted to be able to look down and see my belly growing and feel my baby kick', the patient stated.

How Temporary Womb Transplants Work From IVF to Organ Removal

The treatment protocol requires prospective mothers to create and freeze embryos before undergoing the transplant surgery itself.

Surgeons connect the donated uterus to the recipient's pelvic blood vessels and vaginal canal. Recipients typically begin menstruating within a few months, confirming the organ is functioning before embryo transfer takes place.

All infants delivered through transplanted uteri are born via planned caesarean section.

Crucially, surgeons remove the transplanted womb once childbearing is complete so patients can stop taking lifelong immunosuppressive drugs.

However, the high cost of uterus transplantation may limit access for patients, particularly where insurance coverage is unavailable.

'Women deserve access and options when it comes to how to start a family', said Dr Kathleen E. O'Neill of Penn Medicine, calling for broader insurance coverage.

Read more