A mother-of-one who was born without a womb has said the news of the first successful transplant will give others hope
Emma Weatherburn, who lives in Chester-le-Street, in the North-East of England, had her son, Asher, via surrogate in January.
The 31-year-old was born with Mayer-Roktansky-Kuster-Hauser(MRKH), which affects about one in 5,000 women and means a woman has no cervix, a shortened vagina and an undeveloped uterus.
She did not learn about her condition until she was 17 and did not start having periods.
Last week, UK media reported a 40-year-old woman donated her womb to her 34-year-old sister, who also has MRKH, so that she can have her own children.
Emma said she was ‘overwhelmed’ by the news.
She told the Gazette Live website, “I woke up and had about six or seven texts from family members asking if I had seen the news.
“I turned the news straight on, and it was quite overwhelming. It was such a big breakthrough for anyone who has struggled with fertility. It will give people a lot more hope.”
When she met her husband-to-be, Rich, she was nervous about telling him about her condition, but she needn’t have worried as she said he was relieved after she told him.
She said, “He said he thought it would be something much worse. He was really supportive.”
The couple started trying for a child with Surrogacy UK in 2021.
They met their surrogate, Becky, at a group event and bonded. Soon after, they started IVF.
Emma said on the first UK womb transplant, “There are people who have had cancer and have had to have a hysterectomy and people who can’t carry a baby for medical reasons. There are so many people that this will potentially help.
“If there were more research when we were doing it, we would have gone down that route. I do feel I have missed out by not being the pregnant person and not feeling the kicks, but we are very lucky to have Asher.”
What are your thoughts on the UK’s first womb transplant? Has it given you hope? Could it change your life? Email mystory@ivfbabble.com.
Sister’s Selfless Gift: UK Celebrates First Successful Womb Transplant
