World's first successful penis transplant patient due to become a father

The recipient of the world's first penis transplant is due to become a father, according to his surgeon. The news comes just months after the operation was performed, surpassing the expectations of the surgeon.

The original penis transplant took surgeons 9 hours. Following the success of the procedure, the team is considering further transplants for other patients.

The surgeons at Stellenbosch University in South Africa are happy that there were no complications and his penis is functioning well,.

The surgeons were surprised at how soon the man had recovered his sexual function, having initially aimed for his patient to be fully functional again after 2 years. 

Despite the surgery only being carried out in December, the patient reports his girlfriend is around 4 months pregnant.

The patient originally had his original penis amputated 3 years ago after a traditional circumcision went wrong, leaving him with only 1 cm of the organ.

In many countries, circumcisions are carried out routinely in safe environments, but in South Africa, circumcision can be a risky procedure. There are many reports of boys being maimed or even killed during traditional initiation ceremonies each year.

Although there can be deadly complications with botched circumcisions, penis transplants are far from routine procedures. The surgeons described the operation as more difficult than a kidney transplant due to the fact that the blood vessels in the penis are significantly narrower than those in the kidneys.

Penis transplants 'can bring patients back to life'

As well as being a thoroughly complex procedure to carry out, the surgeons also faced a struggle in getting approval from authorities to be allowed to perform the surgery. The team had to argue the case that the benefits of the surgery would outweigh the risks.

You may say it doesn't save their life, but many of these young men when they have penile amputations are ostracized, stigmatized and take their own life. If you don't have a penis you are essentially dead, if you give a penis back you can bring them back to life.

One of the risks of transplants is that transplanted organs can be rejected by their new host body. A previous penis transplant, attempted in China, was initially believed to have gone well, only for the donated penis to later be rejected.

Following the 9-hour operation to attach the donated penis at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, the anonymous 21-year-old patient has been able to pass urine, maintain an erection, orgasm and ejaculate, even though full sensation has yet to return to the organ.

The fact that the patient has been able to father a child is unsurprising to surgeons, however. "There was nothing preventing him from having children because his sperm wasn't affected.

Due to the success of the procedure, the surgeons have been flooded with requests from men who have had penis amputations. Unfortunately, they are currently unable to meet the demand.

The surgeons hope that as news spreads of the procedure's success, more penis donors will become available.

Right now they have about nine people on their program. They don't think it would be easy but I believe people will now come forward because of this positive case.

References:

1.  AFP, S.African man with penis transplant to become father, accessed 12 June 2015.
2.  BBC News, First penile transplant recipient 'to become father', accessed 12 June 2015.
3.  Additional source: BBC News, South Africans perform first 'successful' penis transplant, accessed 12 June 2015.