Baby born by ovary transplant is beacon of hope: mother

LONDON, Nov 15, 2008 (AFP)

A German who made history after becoming the first woman to give birth following a whole ovary transplant said in a British newspaper on Saturday that she felt a “sense of completeness”.

Susanne Butscher, 39, told the Daily Telegraph that her daughter Maja — named after the Roman goddess of fertility — would give hope to millions of infertile women around the world.

Recovering from the birth on Tuesday at the Portland Hospital in London, she said: “Being a mother at last is an indescribable feeling. It’s been hard to take my eyes off her since she was born.

“I’m so lucky to have had this wonderful opportunity which has given me a sense of completeness I would never have had otherwise.

“I’m happy to be sharing my story with the world to give other women hope who might have similar problems.” Experts believe the pioneering transplant treatment which Butscher had in the United States last year will benefit women who like her suffer an early menopause. They believe it could also give new hope to women suffering cancer who undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy for cancer, and who could freeze one of their ovaries before beginning treatment.