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Cleveland Clinic Says First Uterus Transplant In U.S. Fails

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Cleveland Clinic says the nation's first uterus transplant has failed.

A 26-year-old woman received the transplant there on Feb. 24 and had appeared to be recovering well, even appearing briefly at a news conference on Monday. But according to a hospital statement Wednesday, the patient experienced a sudden complication.

Doctors surgically removed the organ on Tuesday.

The hospital is exploring what went wrong, but said its clinical trial that aims to do 10 uterus transplants is continuing.

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Other countries have attempted uterus transplants, with some reported failures, although Sweden has succeeded in five healthy births. The experimental treatment might eventually offer an option for women born without a uterus or who lost it to disease.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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