Rationing health care .....

Some of these extraordinary operations may seem to be about one thing but lead to something else.

Pushing boundaries is what medicine should be about - not just saving lives. I wonder what this team has learned that may be applicable elsewhere in the future?

They are saying it will enable transwomen or men to have babies. I agree it seems a lot to spend when waiting lists are so long and it is not an absolutely necessary operation.

It’s a difficult one isn’t it

Apparently when/if she has managed to have a baby the womb will be removed so she doesn’t have to take the strong anti rejection drugs so that will involve another op.

I think it was performed by a charity and all the staff gave their time for free.

It is impossible to please everyone so someone will always feel aggrieved at prioritising healthcare.

It gives new hope to those with fertility problems. This was paid for by a charity but was only £25,000, seems reasonable to me.

What Notspagetti said. Its the groundbreaking treatments borne from thorough research that create the advancements in medicine for all of us not necessarily in that discipline.

IVF, heart transplants, limb replacements, they all seemed world shattering events at the time, now commonplace.

Progress.

As Kitty said voluntarily given time and progress needs to be made always. We wouldn’t have what we do without research and development. Nothing must stand still, I applaud them all for their efforts.

kittylester

I think it was performed by a charity and all the staff gave their time for free.

This. It was reported on BBC this lunchtime, so the outrage is misplaced.

No outrage here - I was just interested to think about priorities. Interesting that a charity paid for it. I wish the lady well. Let us hope it will lead to developments that can be applied to all women.

One thing that concerns me is the use of anti womb rejection drugs. Presumably these should have no adverse effects on the foetus.

25Avalon

One thing that concerns me is the use of anti womb rejection drugs. Presumably these should have no adverse effects on the foetus.

You can certainly become prevalent after a kidney transplant and go on to have a healthy baby, there are some anti rejection drugs which have to be ceased first, so it’s advised not to try for a baby for a year after transplant. I know somebody who did this, and now has two children.

Pregnant not prevalent, sorry!

I just read that womb transplantation may be news in the UK but it has been done elsewhere.

As of June 1, about 100 womb transplants have been carried out internationally, and about 50 healthy babies born as a result.

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/womb-transplants-science-pregnancy-motherhood/#:~:text=As%20of%20June%201%2C%20about,babies%20born%20as%20a%20result.

How far do we want the NHS to go, do we want increasingly complex elective procedures to be included and taxation increased to provide that.

Or do we want a basic service with different criteria for treatment at a lower cost

Treatments will continue to evolve and become more expensive as they do, although conversely some treatments may become cheaper as they become more commonplace. I don’t want an NHS where people are denied treatment because they are deemed to be too expensive. Treatment should be offered on the basis of clinical need. This lady has several embryos in store as she has her own ovaries and only needed a womb. Her sister kindly went through surgery to donate her womb to her sister. Of course this surgery should have been offered.

I hadn’t realised how many women were born without wombs. It happened to someone I know and it is so distressing

I don’t want an NHS where people are denied treatment because they are deemed to be too expensive.

I feel so glad for this woman: I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like to have no womb, but isn't it always going to be the case that some treatments are possible but too expensive. Isn't that one of the things that NICE does: decide whether a drug should be permitted, partly on the basis of cost?