Moaza’s miracle baby

Moaza was born with a life-threatening blood disorder called B thalassaemia major. As a child, she was lucky enough to have a bone marrow transplant from her younger brother. But she also needed chemotherapy which would leave her infertile. While she was undergoing treatment, doctors in Leeds removed her right ovary and the tissue was frozen. Moaza, who comes from Dubai, then had chemotherapy which saved her life but damaged her remaining ovary. Years later, Moaza married husband Ahmed and they wanted to start a family. One of the UK’s leading fertility consultants, Miss Sara Matthews, worked with doctors in Denmark to restore Moaza’s fertility. The surgeons replanted four pieces of ovarian tissue onto her remaining but infertile ovary and one piece onto the side of her womb. After several months, Miss Matthews found Moaza’s menopausal symptoms were being reversed and eventually she began to ovulate. The ovaries were then stimulated for IVF treatment and eight eggs were collected to fertilise. Two embryos were placed in Moaza’s womb. She was closely monitored during her pregnancy at The Portland Hospital, and in December 2016, Consultant Obstetrician Miss Cathy Roberts delivered 3.37 kilo baby Rashid by ceasarean section. Moaza told the BBC: 'It’s like a miracle!' Consultant gynaecologist, Miss Sara Matthews, says she was overjoyed by the success of this world-first event. 'This really is a huge step forward. It is the first time that ovarian tissue from a young girl pre-puberty has been frozen and then replanted successfully. We knew that this process worked when tissue was replanted in older women but this wonderful event gives hope to many young girls who might be faced with cancer, blood or immune disorders where the treatment would make them infertile.'