The hope is that the veteran regains sensation anywhere from 6 to 12 months after the transplant is performed. Only the penis will be transplanted, not the testes, where the sperm is produced, which means that that the person receiving this transplant would be able to have a child with his own DNA.
Some of the risks from the surgery include bleeding and infection, even though the medicine that prevents the body from rejecting the organ also recipients of this transplant at risk for cancer.
At least 60 transplants are expected to be performed. John Hopkins will keep a close eye on the transplants and monitor the surgeries, since its considered experimental.