An experimental surgery is helping cancer survivors give birth
Doctors are moving reproductive organs to shield them from cancer treatment, enabling births.
Deep Dive
Surgeons are pioneering an experimental procedure to preserve fertility in bowel and rectal cancer patients. Before radiation and chemotherapy, they temporarily stitch the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes out of the pelvis to protect them from damage. After treatment, the organs are returned. At least eight babies, including a boy in Switzerland, have been born following this surgery, offering new hope for cancer survivors who wish to carry a pregnancy.
Why It Matters
This provides a crucial fertility option where treatments like surrogacy or egg freezing alone are insufficient or unavailable.