Metro Roundup: Woman aims to have Alabama’s first uterus transplant

Elizabeth Goldman always knew she wanted children.

But when she was 14 years old, she was diagnosed with MRKH, a rare disorder that, simply put, means Goldman was born without a uterus.

“There’s not been a day since I haven’t thought about it,” Goldman said.

Goldman, 29, is from Mobile, and has two sons with her husband, Timmy — she adopted her nephew, and her husband had a son prior to their getting married. Still, the couple want children of their own, Goldman said.

In 2012, Goldman found out about a new surgical procedure, a uterus transplant. The procedure began in Sweden, but eventually made its way to the United States, offering Goldman and many other women hope for the first time in history.

In 2016, the Cleveland Clinic became the first to offer the transplant, followed by Baylor and the University of Pennsylvania, whose doctor, Paige Porrett, recently came to the University of Alabama at Birmingham to begin offering the transplant at Alabama’s largest hospital.

When UAB announced they would offer the transplant, she knew there was a greater chance something could work out for her.

In December 2020, Goldman called UAB and requested information about the program, and connected with the transplant coordinator who gave her an overview of the program. After Goldman was accepted into the program, she was told that if the transplant were to take place, she would be the first person in Alabama to receive a uterus.

The process isn’t quick and easy, Goldman said.

“It’s been a series of waits,” she said.

After two rounds of in-vitro fertilization, the couple has four good embryos.

Goldman was officially listed for transplant on Aug. 16, 250 days after she began her journey.

“Now I am just waiting on a call saying a donor is available to be able to have surgery. Pretty wild,” Goldman said.

Goldman has utilized social media to gather support and donations, with the Facebook page “Goldman Baby Adventures: Elizabeth’s Uterus Transplant & IVF Journey” collecting thousands of members and dollars to help pay the bills.

Complete strangers from all over the world have pitched in to help, Goldman said, which is a big relief given how difficult their journey has been.

“Juggling all of the tasks that we have to accomplish has been challenging,” Goldman said.

Still, it has the whole family excited, she said.

“It’s brought a lot of happiness,” Goldman said. “The kids are excited.”

THE PROCEDURE

Porrett said scientists don’t have a good answer as to why some women are born without a uterus, and, like Goldman, many women aren’t diagnosed until they reach adolescence.

The procedure allows women who want to experience gestation personally have a chance at that, though it does carry some risks, primarily through the use of immunosuppression, where different medications are required to be taken to better control the body’s immune response. This helps reduce the threat of “rejection,” where the body rejects the transplanted organ and destroys it because it recognizes that it is not part of the body’s genetic makeup, Porrett said.

Using immunosuppression to help reduce the risk of rejection can lead to an increased risk of infection, bone marrow loss and impaired kidney functions, Porrett said. Because of that, the transplant, unlike many other transplants, is temporary. The woman who receives the transplanted uterus, which comes from a deceased donor, is scheduled to receive the transfer of embryos six months after the surgery, and, six months after the first pregnancy, if it is successful, a woman may choose to try for a second child, but after that second child, the uterus is taken out, Porrett said.

Women with a transplanted uterus will also have their children via Caesarean section, as it is unknown if they can go through labor normally, Porrett said.

Despite the risks and lack of guaranteed success, providing hope to women who suffer from MRKH is meaningful, Porrett said.

“This has been a patient population not served well by the medical community,” Porrett said.

UAB is the first program in the world to open up for referrals to the program outside of a clinical trial, though that does not mean any of the rigor has been lessened, Porrett said.

Out of the 32 completed transplants in the United States, Porrett has performed three, and said she hopes that Goldman’s will be the fourth, completed by the end of 2021.

“Being able to hear and be inspired by patients like Elizabeth … is critical,” Porrett said.

TELLING THE STORY

Goldman said, as a result of telling her story, she’s learned that you never know what other people are going through. People she will likely never meet in person have told her how inspiring her journey and dedication are and have pitched in to help.

“We’re going on this journey together,” Goldman said. “If you had asked me when I was 14 if I could see this happening, I would have said no.

“Being able to experience that kind of love … something you thought would never be possible … it’s super exciting,” Goldman said.

In addition to the Facebook page and website, those wishing to help can go directly to GoFundMe at gofundme.com/makingbabygoldman, Goldman said.