ACC pays for surrogate mum for woman who lost womb

The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) is paying for a surrogate mother to have a baby for a woman who lost her womb in a medical mishap.

ACC agreed to the payout as part of the woman's rehabilitation, spokeswoman Stephanie Julian told today's Sunday Star-Times newspaper.

The woman had complications after the caesarean birth of her first child, a boy.

She returned to hospital several times with prolonged bleeding and her last haemorrhage was so serious she needed 28 units ( about 14 litres) of blood transfused.

"The doctors told my family they couldn't see me living. They couldn't give me any more blood," the North Island woman said.

Doctors performed an urgent hysterectomy to save her life.

She and her husband were told they would not have more children and that surrogacy was their only option.

"It was horrific. My uterus was 100 per cent healthy when I went in. I went in to have a baby and came out with a hysterectomy."

Eventually ACC decided the complication was a "treatment injury" but took about 18 months to agree to pay for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) surrogacy.

Ms Julian said ACC assessed the best solution for an injured person.

ACC said other women had applied for surrogacy funding, but would not say how many.

- NZPA