A Turkish woman is reportedly pregnant after receiving a womb transplant, marking the first time that the procedure has proved successful.
Derya Sert, 22, from Anamur in southern Turkey was born without a womb and in August 2011, was the first woman to undergo a successful womb transplant procedure from a dead donor.
And now doctors say that Sert is showing test results that signify pregnancy after receiving in vitro fertilization, or IVF, treatments 18 months following the transplant.
"Early test results are consistent with pregnancy. The patient is in good health at the moment. We will continue to update on developments in the coming period," Akdeniz University Hospital said in a press statement.
The procedure, which is being considered a medical breakthrough, could bring hope to many women like Sert who were born without a womb-a rare condition that occurs in about one in 5,000 women.
And while there have been other womb transplants performed since Sert's case, she is the first woman to become pregnant following the procedure.
Doctors in Antalya, Turkey implanted an embryo 18 months after the womb was transplanted into Sert's body in an effort to increase the woman's chance of becoming pregnant.
Sert still faces a high risk for miscarriage and various other complications while in the early stages of pregnancy, as well as the possibility of birth defects due to immune-suppressing drugs implemented during the transplant.
But if all goes well, Sert's doctors plan to deliver the baby through a Caesarean section after eight months to decrease the risk for a premature birth as well as remove the womb after delivery to ensure that Sert's body does not reject the transplant or develop an infection.