A woman who was told she would never be able to carry a pregnancy has given birth to her second child three years after undergoing an experimental uterus transplant surgery.
Chelsea Jovanovich, 35, from Montana, was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH), a rare congenital disorder characterized by an underdeveloped or nonexistent uterus and vagina.
She was 15 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, looked into 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 having the uterus transplants. And she said, “You know, there is hope. You know, you should look into this. You might be able to have a baby,”‘ she told Today. ‘I decided to take a chance. And here I am today, which is still a dream.’
Chelsea Jovanovich, 35, from Montana, gave birth to her second child in October 2022, nearly two years after she underwent an experimental uterus transplant surgery
She and her husband, Jake, are now parents to sons Telden and Stetson
Not only did Jovanovich qualify for the transplant program, but the hospital already had a donor who was a match.
Cheryl Urban, 43, had volunteered to become a donor after seeing a news segment about uterus transplants.
‘I was just mind blown that they could do this,’ Urban told Today in 2021. ‘I had two great pregnancies. I’ve enjoyed pregnancy. I enjoyed the feeling of my own kids. So I just wanted to be able to give that to somebody else. And I’m so glad I did.’
Jovanovich and her husband relocated from Montana to Pennsylvania to be closer to her doctors at the hospital in Philadelphia.
Dr. Kathleen O’Neill, a lead investigator of Penn Medicine’s 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 immunosuppressing drugs to prevent her body from rejecting the new organ.
Side effects from 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 carry a pregnancy after a successful uterus 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 nonexistent uterus and vagina
Dr. Kathleen O’Neill, a lead investigator of Penn Medicine’s Uterus Transplantation for Uterine Factor Infertility (UNTIL) trial, performed her 12-hour uterus transplant surgery in 2020
Jovanovich’ donor, Cheryl Urban, 43, (pictured) had volunteered to donate her uterus after seeing a news segment about the transplants
It was an arduous process for Jovanovich, who had to take a regimen of immunosuppressing drugs to prevent her body from rejecting the new organ after the surgery
Jovanovich, who also underwent multiple rounds of IVF, got pregnant with her first child after her second embryo transfer
The mom gave birth to her son Telden in May 2021 (pictured)
Jovanovich got pregnant after her second embryo transfer, and in May 2021, she gave birth to her first child, a son named Telden, who is now one and a half.
A month later, she met her donor, Urban, for the first time, and introduced her to her newborn son. The moms, who carried their children in the same uterus, developed a close bond.
‘It’s been great, being a mom. Telden is growing fast. I can’t believe how fast it went,’ she told Today. ‘He’s very rambunctious. He’s jumping off couches, running around, talking. It’s been great.’
Jovanovich and her husband wanted to give their little boy a sibling, and they welcomed their second son, Stetson, in October 2022.
‘Here we are with two boys and…it’s a miracle,’ she said.
Jovanovich and her husband, Jake, are pictured with baby Telden, who is now one and a half
A month after Jovanovich gave birth, she met her donor, Urban, for the first time, and introduced her to her son
‘Telden is growing fast. I can’t believe how fast it went,’ Jovanovich told Today. ‘He’s very rambunctious. He’s jumping off couches, running around, talking. It’s been great’
Jovanovich and her husband wanted to give their little boy a sibling, and they welcomed their second son, Stetson (pictured), in October 2022
Stetson (pictured with his big brother) is the 25th baby born to a woman who had a uterus transplant in the U.S.
O’Neil told Today that Stetson is the 25th baby born to a woman who had a uterus transplant in the U.S.
She also explained that doctors remove a donor uterus after the delivery of a second baby so the patient can stop taking immunosuppressive drugs, which can have long-term effects.
The Jovanovichs are moving back to Montana following the birth of their second child, and the mom continues to relish every aspect of parenthood.
‘I look in my rear-view mirror and there [are] little feet back there,’ she said. ‘I don’t take for granted all the toys that I pick up.
‘Every little toy…you know at night, I’m picking up toys and I’m like, “Thank you, God.” You know, this is what I wanted. And now, I get to do it.’
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