Pre-pregnancy checks are highly encouraged by researchers as a means to prevent congenital conditions among babies. (Photo : REUTERS)
The world's first successful penis transplant beneficiary will be a father soon, informing his surgeons that he has impregnated his girlfriend
The surgery happened in December 2014, three years after the 21-year-old recipient had lost his own penis because of the infection from a failed ceremonial circumcision. The operation lasted for nine hours; however, it was not publicly announced until a South Africa news conference in March took place. The doctors wanted to see how the unnamed penis transplant recipient would recover and react to the surgery.
Surgeons received good news when the 21-year-old recipient reported that he regained all urinary and sexual functioning with his new penis, his significant other’s pregnancy confirmed that his reproductive system works well.
Professor Andre van der Merwe, Stellenbosch University urologist and leader of the historic surgical team, said that this kind of surgery is needed in South Africa because of health concerns. His team said that the traditional circumcision practices of the Xhosa ethnic group causes disfigurement, loss of the organ. Additionally, the poor sanitation can lead to death and resulting to 250 amputations annually, Washington Post reported.
In obtaining a permission to use the penis, the surgical team have created a new penis using the abdominal skin from the deceased donor. Researchers disclosed that there has been a progress in lab-grown penises that were made using the beneficiary's own cells in order to avoid organ rejection, according to Stuff. They also hope that this new surgical procedure can be performed in hospitals across the country.
Currently, the young man is still under observation and the team need to monitor him for any other improvement on his new penis.
