Woman Pregnant After Uterus Transplant

The first woman to receive a uterus from a dead donor is now pregnant, her doctors announced in Turkey.

Doctors waited 18 months after Derya Sert's uterus transplant in August 2011 before they implanted an embryo on April 1 using Sert's own egg. Sert, a 22-year-old homemakers, is now about two weeks pregnant, her doctors at Akdeniz University Hospital in Antalya announced Friday.

RELATED: Uterus Transplant Faces Technical, Ethical Hurdles

"She is doing just fine at the moment," Dr. Mustafa Unal said in a written statement to Agence France-Presse. The baby will be born through cesarean section, according to the news agency.

Sert was born without a uterus, but her ovaries were intact, according to a hospital press release. The condition affects one in 5,000 women, according to the hospital.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a senior medical contributor at ABC News, said doctors could detect the pregnancy early because they closely monitor the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, in in-vitro fertilization patients. When hCG rises to a certain level, it indicates pregnancy, she explained.

RELATED: Daughter to Undergo Transplant of Mom's Womb

Although Sert's ovaries provide hormones, she may need additional "hormonal support," Ashton said, but it's not exactly clear what Sert can expect in the coming months.

"Since there is scant medical literature on this, the risks for pregnancies is unknown," she said.

A woman in Turkey has become pregnant after she received a uterus transplant. (Credit: ABC News)