Uterine transplantation in primates: a mini-review of the literature

Abstract

Assisted reproductive technology has improved markedly in recent years, and many infertile patients have had children with the use of this technology. However, women with infertility due to an absent or nonfunctional uterus currently have no option of having a genetically linked child other than gestational surrogacy. Uterus transplantation (UTx) is now a possible approach for women with uterine-factor infertility to deliver a child. UTx studies have been performed in many animals, and accumulation of data from these studies has brought UTx within reach of clinical application. This has led to performance of UTx in humans in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Sweden. However, there has yet to be a delivery after allogeneic UTx in primates. More basic studies in primates are needed, and data from research in primates can provide important information for establishment of UTx in humans. In this review, we summarize the literature on UTx studies, with a focus on primates, both human and nonhuman.