World’s First Penis Transplant Recipient’s Girlfriend Is Pregnant

The girlfriend of the man who received the world’s first penis transplant is confirmed to be pregnant. Dr. Andre van der Merwe, a urologist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, told this medical revelation to a crowded audience at a discussion at the university on Thursday morning.

Since the man was able to impregnate his girlfriend just under a year after the operation was performed, it proves that the procedure will be successful in the future. The surgery was done on the 21-year-old man in December 2014. Van der Merwe led a highly trained team of surgeons and specialists for the operation that lasted for over nine hours at a hospital in South Africa.

Around three years ago, the young man was forced to have his penis amputated after he suffered life-threatening complications after he received a routine circumcision at a nearby hospital. The world’s first penis transplant was originally undertaken as a pilot study to create a transplant procedure that could be completed in a traditional hospital setting. It is unclear whether the doctor has any other planned penis transplant procedures in the future.

By Alex Lemieux

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SA Breaking News: Penis transplant patient’s girlfriend is pregnant

Photo Courtesy of Ruhrfisch’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License