LUBBOCK -
More than 1.5 million woman are infertile, according to the CDC. After multiple successful uterus transplants in Sweden an American medical team wanted to bring the procedure here. A 26-year-old Lubbock woman and mother of three adopted children was the first recipient.
The procedure didn't end the way Lindsey McFarland, her family and doctors wanted. But they are excited for the future.
Discovering a problem
McFarland realized something wasn't right with her body when she was 16.
"They had to have a lot of tests ran, blood work and then they finally decided oh, you were born without a uterus," McFarland said.
Her husband Blake said "having that experience, of being able to carry your own child is something that a mother treasures."
Specialists at the time told here there wasn't much they could do to help. But move forward 10 years, McFarland heard about successful uterus transplants in Sweden. Dr. Andreas Tzakis wanted to conduct a clinical trial at the Cleveland Clinic.
"The birth of my daughter was the happiest moment of my life by far so I can understand what the birth of a child means," Dr. Tzakis said.
The McFarlands, with three adopted sons, have a full house. But they wanted their family to grow further.
"It was always just so far because it was in Sweden but we were like well, I wonder if they'll ever bring it to the States," Blake McFarland said. Lindsey reached out to Dr. Tzakis. She said they've been in contact for about five years.
Breakthrough
In March 2015 the subject of their back-and-forth e-mails shifted. Dr. Tzakis told the couple they were looking for candidates. Lindsey soon met with the medical staff.
"You meet the psychologist, IVF team, the transplant team, ethics," Lindsey explained. Husband Blake said this was their priority, "we put a lot of things on hold and said, you know, let's go for this."
After passing medical tests and successfully freezing embryos for in-vitro fertilization Lindsey was placed on a waiting list. That same day the phone rang.
"At 2:30 p.m. they said get on a plane," Lindsey said.
The transplant procedure took about 10 hours. Doctors called the media to announce the good news.
"We announced that we had received the uterus and then that night was when she started having some further issues," Blake McFarland said. "The night that they told us she lost it, I was in tears because I knew how heartbroken she was going to be."
Lindsey said, "I wanted that experience. I wanted everything that comes with pregnancy."
An infection cut off the blood flow to the donor uterus. The first trial procedure in the U.S. didn't work out for the McFarlands. But they're optimistic about the future of the procedure.
"Articles that are out there continually refer to our situation as a failure," Lindsey said. "In our eyes, it's not a failure. The team has been able to learn so much about what went wrong. There are nine other women in the program right now, I have high hopes that one or several of them will end up with that little bundle of joy."
The McFarlands do still have the embryos. They plan to try the path to surrogacy in one to two years. Lindsey's mom has offered to be their surrogate.
As for the three young boys, Blake and Lindsey saw a new side of them because of this experience.
"They know that I had surgery, they know I was in the hospital," Lindsey said. "Our four-year old actually was so concerned when he found out I wasn't in the hospital anymore. He was like 'why did you leave, you need to go back!' And then our oldest was taking to Blake and was like 'what did mom's doctor say?'"
Blake said they count their blessings. "Especially our boys. I really think it has made us stronger."
