First successful ovary transplant reported

LONDON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Doctors in Britain and the United States say the world's first successful ovarian transplant gives new hope to infertile women.

A 38-year-old London woman who received an ovary from her twin sister is expected to give birth this week, The Sunday Times of London reported, noting the expectant mother's ovaries had failed at the age of 15, sending her into early menopause.

The delicate transplant was conducted last year in the United States at the Infertility Center of St. Louis by Dr. Sherman Silber, the Times reported, noting the woman began to ovulate normally three months later.

The pioneering surgery gives hope to women made infertile from chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer because they could have an ovary removed and frozen before beginning treatment, the Times reported.