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Yeast Infection Derailed First U.S. Uterus Transplant

Common infection led to removal.

The Cleveland Clinic revealed Friday why the first U.S. uterus transplant failed last month: a common yeast infection. Doctors were forced to remove the transplant on March 8, two weeks after the successful surgery, but did not initially reveal what complications led to the removal. “Preliminary results suggest that the complication was because of an infection caused by an organism that is commonly found in a woman’s reproductive system,” the surgical team said. “The infection appears to have compromised the blood supply to the uterus, causing the need for its removal.” The surgeons added that because yeasts inhabit the genital tract, it’s unclear whether the infection came from the donor or the recipient.