Japan Prepares Uterine Transplant, a Chance to Get Pregnant with Great Risk

Japan is preparing to conduct clinical trials of uterus transplants. This procedure opens up the opportunity for women without a uterus to become pregnant. However, the risks are not small, both for patients and donors.

Fujita Health University in Aichi Prefecture said it will prepare for clinical trials of uterus transplants in the next few years, Kyodo News reported, citing Tuesday, June 23.

The campus is considering uterus transplants for three women who cannot get pregnant or give birth naturally. At least one of them was born without a uterus.

In the next plan, this procedure will also be offered to women whose uterus is removed through surgery due to cancer.

The announcement was made after Fujita Health University held the first meeting of the uterus transplantation research working group. The campus hopes to submit a clinical trial plan to an internal panel by the end of this year.

A uterus transplant is the transfer of a uterus from a donor to a recipient so that the recipient has the opportunity to conceive. This procedure is different from transplants of vital organs such as the heart or liver. Not having a uterus is not a life-threatening condition.

This is where the ethical debate comes in. Both patients and donors face the risk of major surgery, while the goal of this procedure is to open up the possibility of pregnancy.

"We have no doubt that there are patients who will benefit from this," said Iori Kisu, the working group leader and professor of obstetrics and gynecology, at Monday's meeting.

According to Kyodo, the patient who receives the uterus will try to get pregnant using eggs that have been frozen and fertilized with his partner's sperm.

Japan has actually opened the door to this research. In 2021, a panel of the Japanese Medical Science Association gave the green light for limited clinical trials. The evaluation panel of Keio University, where Kisu previously worked, also approved clinical trials in 2025. However, no procedures have been carried out.

Outside Japan, more than 150 uterus transplants have been performed. According to Kisu, more than 70 children were born from the procedure.

A study by the International Society of Uterus Transplantation of 91 cases at 24 medical institutions in 2000-2024 showed 36 mothers giving birth to 44 babies.

However, the risk is clearly visible. As many as 27 mothers experienced complications, including hypertension during pregnancy. As many as 33 mothers gave birth before the age of 37 weeks of pregnancy, or premature.