Deceased Uterine Transplant in Absolute Uterine Infertility (AUIF)

April 22, 2026 updated by: Stefan G Tullius, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Our study will explore the feasibility of initiating a deceased donor uterine transplant program in addition to the existing living donor IRB at BWH.

Using the template established by teams around the world, we will identify emotionally and socially stable females of reproductive age with intact ovaries who are unable to gestate a child due to congenital or acquired uterine factor infertility. After careful screening, participants will undergo egg harvest, in vitro fertilization, and embryo cryopreservation using standard methods. Women who successfully complete the fertilization of at least six euploid embryos will be eligible to be placed on the waitlist for a deceased donor uterus transplant. After a successful transplant and a period of observation to ensure normal menstrual cycle and graft viability (anticipate six months), embryo implantation will be undertaken.

Following an embryo transfer, gestation will be carefully monitored by our high-risk pregnancy specialists. Medical research interventions include the surgical implantation of a uterus utilizing techniques by teams that have applied this approach successfully, close post-transplant follow up including immunosuppression therapy tailored to established standards during pregnancy minimizing fetal risks, and careful management of pregnancy. After childbearing is complete (at most two gestations), the donor uterus will be removed either during Cesarean or during an elective procedure. In addition, open ended interviews and surveys will be conducted to elicit ethical and psychosocial concerns arising from the experience of subjects and their families, health care providers, and the wider community. The investigator's intent is to monitor outcomes for transplant recipients as well as the live born infants for 30 days after removal of the transplanted uterus.

It is estimated that the time from screening to a potential live birth will be a minimum of 22 months, but likely between 24 - 36 months depending on organ availability.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

250

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Recruiting
        • Brigham & Women's Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Evidence of AUFI diagnosed by BWH gynecologist
  • Ability to produce at least 6 euploid embryos for cryopreservation
  • BMI ≤ 30
  • GFR 60 or greater in any patient including those with a single kidney
  • PRA 20% or less
  • Deemed stable and capable of undergoing transplant by the transplant team to include psychiatry, social work, and transplant coordinator and study doctors to assure compliance with treatment
  • Evidence to be compliant with follow-up and immunosuppression
  • Partner willing to undergo psychological evaluation and receive immunizations as recommended
  • Stable home environment to support a child

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Active smoking, alcohol use or use of illicit drugs
  • Inability to follow a strict medication dosing schedule post-transplant and adhere to required follow-up appointments.
  • Any co-morbidities which would increase surgical risk, risk of pregnancy or the risk of taking anti-rejection medications as determined by the Maternal Fetal Specialist and Transplant Surgeon.
  • Active infection: HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C
  • Inadequate blood vessels to support the transplanted uterus.
  • Prior extensive abdominal or pelvic surgery
  • Presence of pelvic kidney
  • History of abnormal PAP
  • HPV related vulvar, vaginal or cervical dysplasia
  • Evidence of genital condylomata
  • History of PID
  • One or more living biological children

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Deceased Donor Uterus Transplant
Procedure: Uterine Transplant from Deceased Donor
The recipient will be started on anti-rejection medications (as is routine for transplant recipients) prior to the OR. Standard of care anesthesia and line placement will take place. The recipient will be appropriately identified as an organ recipient and the donor organ identified per required transplant protocols already in place. The recipient team will then connect the vasculature and appropriate supporting structures for the uterus transplant. Once the organ has been re-perfused, the remainder of the operation will take place and the patient will be moved to the Intensive Care Unit and later to the transplant patient floor for standard monitoring.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Live Births Following Uterus Transplant
Time Frame: Within 5 years of transplant
To provide motherhood options for women with AUIF as an alternative to surrogacy or adoption, via gestating and giving birth via Cesarean section to a live infant.
Within 5 years of transplant
Number of Surgically Successful Uterus Transplants
Time Frame: Within 3 months of transplant
To achieve surgically successful uterus transplants.
Within 3 months of transplant

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Financial impact of deceased donor uterus transplantation
Time Frame: Through Study completion, up to 5 years post transplant
To analyze the overall impact of deceased donor uterus transplantation costs relative to established alternative procedures such as adoption and surrogacy.
Through Study completion, up to 5 years post transplant
Quality of life impact of deceased donor uterus transplantation
Time Frame: Through study completion, up to 5 years post transplant
To analyze the overall impact of deceased donor uterus transplantation including changes in quality of life, relative to other established alternative procedures such as adoption and surrogacy.
Through study completion, up to 5 years post transplant

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Stefan G Tullius, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 2, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 18, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

July 19, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 22, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2018P001782/PHS

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Data will be published or presented at scientific meetings or distributed upon request.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

For the duration of the study.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be published or presented at scientific meetings or distributed upon request.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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