Woman gives birth to her second baby after a rare uterus transplant

A woman told she could never conceive has given birth to her second child three years after undergoing experimental womb transplant surgery.

Chelsea Jovanovich, 35, of Montana, was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH), a rare congenital disorder characterized by an underdeveloped or absent uterus and vagina.

She was 15 years old when she learned she couldn’t have a baby because her uterus had never fully developed. As she got older and watched her friends have children, her diagnosis became even more devastating.

Jovanovich and her husband, Jake, considered surrogacy, but their attempt to become parents was unsuccessful. They were ready to give up when she applied for a uterus transplant program at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia.

‘My mom saw a story about womb transplants. And she said, “You know, there’s hope. You know, you should look into this. It’s possible that you could have a baby,” she said. Today. ‘I decided to risk it. And here I am today, which is still a dream.

She and her husband, Jake, are now parents to Telden and Stetson.

Jovanovich not only qualified for the transplant program, but the hospital already had a donor who was a match.

Cheryl Urban, 43, volunteered to be a donor after seeing a news segment about womb transplants.

“I was blown away that they could do this,” Urban said. Today in 2021. ‘I had two great pregnancies. I have enjoyed the pregnancy. I enjoyed the feeling of my own children. So I just wanted to be able to give it to someone else. And I’m so glad I did.

Jovanovich and her husband moved from Montana to Pennsylvania to be closer to their doctors at the Philadelphia hospital.

Dr. Kathleen O’Neill, principal investigator of the Penn Medicine Uterus Transplantation for Uterine Factor Infertility (UNTIL) trial, performed her 12-hour uterus transplant surgery in February 2020.

It was an arduous process for Jovanovich, who had to take a regimen of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent his body from rejecting the new organ.

Side effects of the drugs included hair loss and headaches. She also had to undergo multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Women who have MRKH have normally functioning ovaries and eggs and can have a pregnancy after a successful uterine transplant.

Jovanovich was 15 when she learned she couldn’t have children because she was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH), a rare congenital disorder characterized by an underdeveloped or absent uterus and vagina.

Dr. Kathleen O’Neill, Principal Investigator of Penn Medicine’s Uterus Transplantation for Uterine Factor Infertility (UNTIL) trial, performed her 12-hour uterus transplant surgery in 2020

Jovanovich’s donor, Cheryl Urban, 43, (pictured) volunteered to donate her uterus after seeing a news segment about transplants.

It was an arduous process for Jovanovich, who had to take a regimen of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent her body from rejecting the new organ after surgery.

Jovanovich, who also underwent multiple rounds of IVF, became pregnant with her first child after her second embryo transfer.

The mother gave birth to her son Telden in May 2021 (pictured)

Jovanovich became pregnant after her second embryo transfer, and in May 2021 gave birth to her first child, a boy named Telden, who is now a year and a half.

A month later, she met her donor, Urban, for the first time and introduced him to her newborn son. The moms, who carried their children in the same womb, developed a close bond.

‘It’s been great being a mother. Telden is growing rapidly. I can’t believe how fast she was,” she told Today. He is very unruly. He is jumping off the sofas, running, talking. He’s been great.’

Jovanovich and her husband wanted to give their little brother a baby brother, and they welcomed their second child, Stetson, in October 2022.

“Here we are with two children and…it’s a miracle,” he said.

Jovanovich and her husband, Jake, are pictured with baby Telden, now a year and a half.

A month after Jovanovich gave birth, she met her donor, Urban, for the first time and introduced him to her son.

‘Telden is growing rapidly. I can’t believe how fast he was,” Jovanovich told Today. He is very unruly. He is jumping off the sofas, running, talking. He’s been great’

Jovanovich and her husband wanted to give their little brother a baby brother, and they welcomed their second child, Stetson (pictured), in October 2022

Stetson (pictured with her older brother) is the 25th baby of a woman who underwent a womb transplant in the US.

O’Neil told Today that Stetson is the 25th baby born to a woman who underwent a womb transplant in the US.

She also explained that doctors remove a donor’s uterus after the delivery of a second baby so the patient can stop taking immunosuppressive drugs, which can have long-term effects.

The Jovanoviches move back to Montana after the birth of their second child, and the mother continues to enjoy every aspect of parenthood.

‘I look in my rear view mirror and there [are] little feet back there,’ he said. ‘I don’t take all the toys I pick up for granted.

‘Every little toy… you know, at night, I pick up toys and I’m like, “Thank you, God.” You know, this is what I wanted. And now, I have to.