Dr. Mats Brännström

Professor Mats Brännström earned his MD in 1985 and his PhD in Physiology in 1988. Following his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology, he subspecialized in Gynecological Oncology and, more recently, in Reproductive Medicine. The first half of his scientific career focused on basic ovarian physiology and clinical conditions related to ovarian disorders, including PCOS, OHSS, and ovarian cancer.

Over the past two decades, Professor Brännström has continued his ovarian research while pioneering a new field: uterus transplantation as a treatment for absolute uterine factor infertility. Today, he is internationally recognized as the pioneer of uterus transplantation.

In 2002, his team achieved a groundbreaking milestone by demonstrating, for the first time, live births in a uterus transplantation animal (mouse) model. Through a systematic, translational approach—spanning two rodent species, two large domestic species, and non-human primates—Brännström and his team successfully optimized uterus transplantation for human trials.

In 2013, they conducted the world’s first clinical trial of uterus transplantation, including nine live donor procedures. Nine women received transplants, and in September 2014, the world’s first live birth following uterus transplantation occurred in Sweden. Between 2014 and 2016, the first eight babies born via uterus transplantation were delivered in Sweden.

To date, over 140 uterus transplantation procedures have been performed globally, resulting in more than 70 births. The Swedish team has played a significant role in training and performing surgeries at most of the approximately 20 active centers worldwide.

Professor Brännström is a founding member and served as the first president of the International Society of Uterus Transplantation (ISUTx). He currently chairs the ISUTx international registry, which collects global data on uterus transplantation procedures and outcomes.

With an H-index of 79, Professor Brännström has authored more than 400 research and review articles, cited over 19,000 times.