FIRST BRITISH BABY BORN USING WOMB TRANSPLANTED FROM DECEASED DONOR

A baby boy has become the first child in the United Kingdom to be born from a womb transplanted from a deceased donor, marking a major milestone in British medical history.

Grace Bell, in her 30s, who was born without a viable womb, described the birth of her son, Hugo, as “simply a miracle.” Hugo, now 10 weeks old, was born just before Christmas 2025 at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in west London, weighing nearly 7lbs.

Bell and her partner, Steve Powell, from Kent, paid tribute to the donor and her family, expressing gratitude for what they called an “incredible gift.” They also thanked the medical teams in Oxford and London who made the procedure possible.

“I think of my donor and her family every day and pray they find some peace in knowing their daughter gave me the biggest gift: the gift of life,” Bell said. “A part of her will live on forever.”

Bell was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a condition affecting about one in 5,000 women in the UK. While she has normal ovaries, she was born without a functioning womb and was told at 16 that she would not be able to carry her own child.

Her options were limited to surrogacy or the possibility of a womb transplant. In June 2024, she underwent a 10-hour transplant operation at The Churchill Hospital in Oxford after a donor womb became available. The couple later received IVF treatment at The Lister Fertility Clinic in London, followed by an embryo transfer.

Recalling Hugo’s birth, Bell said: “It was simply a miracle. I remember waking up and seeing his little face, and it felt like I needed to wake up from a dream. It was just incredible.”

Hugo’s birth is part of a UK clinical research trial involving 10 womb transplants from deceased donors. While three such transplants have already been carried out, Hugo is the first baby born through this process in the country.

Earlier in 2025, another baby, Amy, was born following the UK’s first living womb donation, in which a woman received a womb from her older sister. Five additional living-donor transplants are planned.

Consultant gynaecologist Professor Richard Smith, who has researched womb transplantation for more than 25 years and founded the charity Womb Transplant UK, was present at Hugo’s birth. He described the event as a “ground-breaking moment” made possible by a large multidisciplinary team.

In honour of his contribution, Bell and Powell gave their son the middle name Richard.

Transplant surgeon Isabel Quiroga, joint leader of the team, said she was “delighted” by the successful birth, describing it as a breakthrough for organ transplantation in the UK.

“Very few babies have been born in Europe as a result of their mothers receiving a womb from a deceased donor,” she noted. “Our trial is seeking to discover whether this procedure could become an approved and regular treatment.”

A baby born from a transplanted womb does not carry any genetic material from the donor. Globally, more than 100 womb transplants have been performed, resulting in over 70 healthy births.

Unlike other organ donations, womb donation requires specific consent from families, even in the UK’s opt-out organ donation system.

The donor’s parents, who wish to remain anonymous, said they felt “tremendous pride” in their daughter’s legacy. In addition to her womb, she donated five other organs, helping four people.

“Through organ donation, she has given other families the precious gift of time, hope, healing and now life,” her family said.

Bell and Powell are considering having a second child before surgeons remove the transplanted womb, allowing Bell to stop taking lifelong immunosuppressant medication.

Medical experts say Hugo’s birth signals new hope for girls and women who were once told they would never be able to carry their own children.

Source:NKONKONSA.com