Penn Medicine’s first living donor uterus transplant
Cheryl Cichonski-Urban donated her uterus to Chelsea Jovanovich through Penn Medicine’s Uterus Donation program. In May, Jovanovich gave birth to a baby boy.
Chelsea Jovanovich’s 12-week ultrasound. Because of a congenital disorder called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome, Jovanovich did not have a uterus. Through the first-ever living donor uterus donation at Penn, she received one from Cheryl Cichonski-Urban.
As proud new mom, Chelsea Jovanovich tenderly placed her newborn son into Cheryl Cichonski-Urban’s arms, the two women marveled at baby Telden’s angelic features, sweet disposition, and one other remarkable detail that two moms don’t typically share: The uterus where Telden spent months growing inside Jovanovich’s body is the same uterus that brought Urban’s children into the world about a decade before. It was a profound moment that marked a special bond between the two prior strangers involved in Penn Medicine’s first-ever living donor uterus donation.