First US uterus transplant fails

The first uterus transplant to be performed in the United States failed after the recipient suffered complications that prompted doctors to remove the organ, the Cleveland Clinic said on Wednesday.

"We are saddened to share that our patient, Lindsey, recently experienced a sudden complication that led to the removal of her transplanted uterus," the hospital said in a statement that did not give the patient's last name.

She was "doing well" and "recovering" after surgery to remove the organ, it added without elaborating.

The transplant, which lasted nine hours, took place on February 25. Doctors announced several days later that the operation had been a success.

On Monday, the surgical team held a news conference during which the 26-year-old recipient briefly appeared smiling.

The hospital said it is reviewing why the transplant failed, adding that its clinical trial -- which aims to carry out uterus transplants in 10 women -- will continue.

Doctors at Sweden's University of Gothenburg were the first to successfully perform a uterus transplant in 2013.

The recipient gave birth to the first child to be conceived in an implanted womb in September 2014.

The Swedish team has enabled four healthy births to date.

The transplant is temporary, meant to enable women to deliver up to two children over a five-year period.

The transplanted uterus must then be removed to end exposure to drugs meant to prevent women's bodies from rejecting the transplanted organs.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Grace Lee admits having liposuction

MANILA, Philippines -- More than a year after she underwent the procedure, television host Grace Lee admitted she had undergone liposuction to look slimmer on screen.


"I really wanted to lose some weight, kasi that's the issue for us," Lee told ABS-CBN News on Tuesday during a press conference for the medical services of the Belo Medical Group, where the TV host sought the procedure.

"Kasi sa television, we [appear to] gain weight, usually it's 10 to 15 pounds heavier than when [you see us] in person. So  lagi ko concern 'yun," added Lee, who currently hosts a number of TV programs.

Her concern was largely over her "flabby" arms -- the target of her liposuction procedure -- as it appeared to "frame" her when she'd go on TV.

"Alam niyo naman sa TV, waist up 'yung mga shots, so ang nangyayari, 'yung arms ko, nagiging frame siya ng katawan ko," Lee said.

"'Pag nakikita ako ng televiewers [in person], ang unang sinasabi nila sa 'kin, 'Ay, hindi ka pala mataba in person.' 'Yun ang comment sa 'kin all the time, and I really believe it was because of my arms," she added.

According to Lee, the insecurity came to her well before she became a TV personality. In college, when she had a dramatic weight loss, the fat around her arms remained prominent in comparison to the other parts of her body.

"Even when umabot ako sa 108 pounds na lang when I was in college at one time, kahit ganoon na ako kapayat, 'yung arms ko pa rin flabby, chubby pa rin, ayaw mawala," Lee said.

Her chance encounter with Vicki Belo, founder of the Belo Medical Group, made her aware of her options to address her concern over her "chubby" arms. But it wasn't until three years later when she finally underwent the procedure upon prodding from the celebrity doctor.

"I was so scared in the beginning talaga to do liposuction, kasi takot talaga ako sa injection, so it took me a while to decide on the procedure," said Lee, who emphasized the operation happened "long before" she dated President Benigno Aquino III.

"Three years ako nagmatigas, and then when I finally did it, I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. My arms are so much smaller, and I've maintained it so far," she added.

source: abs-cbnnews.com