SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
It's a sign that a much-needed procedure in South Africa is really working.
The recipient of the world's first successful penis transplant will soon be a father, according to the South African outlet News24. His surgeons were recently informed that his girlfriend is pregnant.
The surgery took place just six months ago, three years after the 21-year-old had lost his own organ after infection caused by a botched ceremonial circumcision. Stellenbosch University urologist, Prof. Andre van der Merwe, who led the historic surgical team, explained at a March news conference that South Africa has a particular need for such a surgery: Members of the Xhosa ethnic group often practice adult circumcision, and poor sanitation leads to some 250 amputations every year.
To get permission to use the penis that has now facilitated a pregnancy, van der Merwe's team had to fashion a new one out of abdominal skin for the deceased donor to be buried with. One day soon, we may not need donors at all: Last year, researchers reported progress in lab-grown penises built with the recipient's own cells to avoid organ rejection.
This is good news for men who lose their penises to cancer and accidents, too.
[Ed note: We recently ran a story about a woman who succeeded in having a Live Birth After Autograft of Ovarian Tissue Cryopreserved During Childhood.]
Original Submission
(Score: 1, Touché) by KGIII on Sunday June 14 2015, @04:35PM
To be fair, the one he had is broken, otherwise they would not be replacing it.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Monday June 15 2015, @09:17AM
To be fair, the one he had is broken, otherwise they would not be replacing it.
incorrect. the one he had was fine but a botched circumcision resulted in an infection which ultimately resulted amputation.
(Score: 2) by mojo chan on Monday June 15 2015, @12:15PM
If it ain't broke...
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
(Score: 1, Troll) by KGIII on Tuesday June 16 2015, @10:37AM
Was that the one he had or the one he had had?
"So long and thanks for all the fish."