‘Can I have your uterus?’: Woman’s huge ask of her mother
One mother has gone above and beyond for her daughter who desperately wanted to have a second child.
Kirsty Bryant and her mother, Michelle, are hoping to be part of a clinical trial for uterus transplants at the Royal Hospital for Women, in Sydney.
The mother-and-daughter duo spoke on Andrew Bucklow’s I’ve Got News For You podcast about what this would do for their family.
After the birth of Kirsty’s child, Violet, she needed to undergo an emergency hysterectomy after suffering from a post-partum hemorrhage.
“In Australia, if a woman can’t carry a pregnancy, we can try surrogacy and obviously there’s fostering and adoption,” Kirsty said.
“Unfortunately in Australia, it is a very long and lengthy process to go through surrogacy each state have their own laws. I did some research into surrogacy and spoke to a fertility specialist. But I just felt like it probably wasn’t for us at this stage.”
During this research, Kirsty found out about the clinical trials and did a deeper look, after being pointed in this direction by other women who had hysterectomies.
Kirsty said the transplant is like any other, with the pair going into surgery at the same time.
“I put some inquiries in and that’s when I called my mum and said, ‘Hi, Mum, hypothetically, if you could have a hysterectomy and I could have your uterus and then go on to carry a baby, how would you feel?’
“And I think she paused for a moment or two and she said ‘Sure if that’s what you want. I will help you’.”
Michelle said she was a little shocked at first but, at the end of the day, the grandmother-of-six said she just wanted to help her daughter and agreed without knowing too much about the procedure.
She said she knew she’d be losing her uterus and would have restrictions following the procedure.
“I will get to watch my daughter become a mother again,” Michelle said.
“And, secondly, I’ll be a grandma. I’ll have another grandchild. It’s just amazing. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us.”
Kirsty said she and her husband were beyond excited, and have incredible faith in the team at the hospital.
The pair currently have embryos on ice at the hospital and following a successful organ donation, they hope to conceive within eight months of the transplant.
Kirsty and Michelle have said all their family and friends are incredibly supportive of the step they are taking.
“Being a parent, the first time was just incredibly special,” Kirsty said.
“Carrying a baby doesn’t make me any more of a parent but now that I’ve done it the first time feeling the kicks and the hiccups and, you know, carrying a baby is just so special. My mum and I would do anything for that.”
Kirsty said she is working on a way of repaying her mother, with the first being to give her child a middle name in honor of Michelle.
Dr. Rebecca Dean is the lead researcher on the trial and said the procedure is a little risky, particularly to the donor as it’s more than a standard hysterectomy.
She said there have been 75 uterus transplants performed around the world, with the first set to happen in Australia next year.