Brown had come to him because her fallopian tubes were blocked, preventing her from becoming pregnant.

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Researchers examined semen samples provided by men aged between 18-70 whose partners were undergoing fertility treatment because of blocked or missing fallopian tubes.

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As part of her treatment, Brown has had one of her ovaries, several lymph nodes and part of one of her fallopian tubes removed.

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Eight days after the operation, hospital officials told the girl's parents that, in fact, the surgeon had removed not her appendix but one of her fallopian tubes.

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This technique involves inserting unfertilised eggs, and sperm, into the fallopian tubes, and is not currently covered by guidance, so in theory any number of eggs could be used.

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The first organ that the system has been used to emulate is the uterus, because keyhole surgery is widely employed to deal with ectopic pregnancies (those where the fetus develops in the fallopian tubes leading into the womb, rather than in the womb itself).

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