In-vitro fertilization wasn't the only technique making reproductive news last week. The medical wires were buzzing as well with reports of the first human uterine transplant--an improbable operation that raises more questions than it answers.
The surgery, performed in Saudi Arabia, involved the transfer of a uterus from a 46-year-old donor who had undergone a hysterectomy into a 26-year-old woman whose uterus had been removed because of hemorrhaging. The organ survived for 99 days but failed after kinking or other blood-vessel problems choked off circulation. Many members of the medical community were nonetheless encouraged. Says New York University's Giuseppe Del Priore,...