World's First Penis Transplant Has Already Gotten Someone Pregnant

The man’s new penis, harvested from a donor and augmented with abdominal skin, marks the first time that a transplanted penis has achieved full functioning. This procedure is especially necessary in South Africa, according to The Post, due to the large amount of ritual circumcision that happens within the Xhosa tribe. The Post reports that penile amputations happen at an alarming rate, approximately 250 per year, due to infection and other complications related to the removal of the foreskin in unsanitary environments.

In addition to functioning normally, the penis also allegedly looks real and undeformed. According to doctors, one of the main components of a successful transplant is psychological, and if the genitals don’t look right it can be an even harsher blow to the recipient than the removal of the penis itself. In fact, a Chinese man who’d had a transplant in 2006 demanded that doctors remove his new penis after less than two weeks of having been in possession of it.

This is only the first step to better penis transplant techniques. The Post reports that lab-grown penises are already in the works (I just imagine little mice running around with dicks on their backs) and that previous sex organ transplantation on women (specifically that of the uterus) has also resulted in a healthy pregnancy and birth.

Congratulations to the soon-to-be father and cutting edge science! It’s nice to know that as we get further and further into the future, more of our vital parts are becoming replaceable. While this is only a penis, I’m fairly confident that pretty soon we’ll be able to replace hearts and lungs, rendering death obsolete forever. (I hope.)