A woman who received a uterus transplant from a dead donor has given birth to a healthy baby.

The breakthrough operation, performed two years ago in Brazil, shows that such transplants are feasible and could help thousands of women unable to have children due to uterine problems, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.

Ten previous attempts, in the US, Czech Republic and Turkey, to achieve a live birth using a womb taken from a dead individual, had all ended in failure.

The first birth after a womb transplant from a living donor took place in Sweden in September 2013.

Since then there have been 39 such procedures resulting in 11 live births.

The recipient in the ground-breaking latest case involving a dead donor was a 32-year-old woman born without a womb due to a rare genetic disorder.

In September 2016 she was given an unexpected chance of motherhood after undergoing the womb transplant at the Hospital das Clinicas in Sao Paulo.

The uterus was taken from a 45-year-old donor who had died from a brain haemorrhage.

Surgeons spent 10.5 hours transplanting the womb by connecting veins, arteries, ligaments and vaginal canals.

The first successful childbirth following uterine transplant from a living donor took place in 2013 in Sweden, and there have been ten others since then.

Dr Dani Ejzenberg, from the Faculty of Medicine at Sao Paulo University, who led the team, said: "The use of deceased donors could greatly broaden access to this treatment, and our results provide proof-of-concept for a new option for women with uterine infertility.

"The first uterus transplants from live donors were a medical milestone, creating the possibility of childbirth for many infertile women with access to suitable donors and the needed medical facilities.

"However, the need for a live donor is a major limitation as donors are rare, typically being willing and eligible family members or close friends.

"The numbers of people willing and committed to donate organs upon their own deaths are far larger than those of live donors, offering a much wider potential donor population."

After surgery, the anonymous recipient remained in intensive care for two days before spending another six days on a specialised transplant ward.

Five months after the transplant, the implanted womb appeared to have been successfully incorporated into her body.

Ultrasound scans showed no abnormalities and she  was menstruating regularly.

Two months later eight fertilised eggs were implanted into the womb.

The early embryos produced by IVF treatment had been frozen and stored four months before the transplant.

Pregnancy was confirmed ten days after implantation, said the medical team.

No complications were reported other than a kidney infection at 32 weeks that was treated with antibiotics.

A baby girl weighing 2.55kg (5lb 6oz) was born by caesarean section after a pregnancy lasting 35 weeks and three days.