First UK Baby Born After Womb Transplant from Deceased Donor Marks Medical Breakthrough
Birth hailed as major step forward in fertility treatment for women born without a uterus
A baby boy has become the first child in the United Kingdom to be born following a womb transplant from a deceased donor, a development doctors are describing as a landmark moment in reproductive medicine.
Grace Bell, who was born without a uterus, gave birth to her son, Hugo Richard Norman Powell, by caesarean section at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in December 2025. She is the second woman in the UK to deliver a baby after receiving a womb transplant, but the first to do so using an organ donated after death.
According to the medical team, Hugo is believed to be only the third baby in Europe born following a womb transplant from a deceased donor, placing the UK programme among a small number of pioneering centres advancing the procedure.
The transplant was carried out under the UK Investigational Study into Transplantation of the Uterus (INSITU), a regulated research initiative funded by the charity Womb Transplant UK. After undergoing the transplant surgery, Bell received IVF treatment and an embryo transfer at Lister Fertility Clinic, before being closely monitored throughout her pregnancy.
In a statement, Bell expressed gratitude to the donor and her family, saying their decision had allowed her to fulfill her long-held wish to become a mother. The donor’s parents said they felt pride in the legacy their daughter had left, noting that organ donation had provided hope and life to other families.
Professor Richard Smith, co-lead of the UK womb transplant research team, said witnessing the birth marked the culmination of years of scientific work and collaboration. He emphasized that the outcome was only possible because of the donor family’s decision following a personal tragedy.
Miss Isabel Quiroga, also co-leading the research programme, described the birth as a major milestone for women who lack a functioning uterus. She said the procedure offers a unique opportunity to carry and give birth to a biological child, providing an additional option alongside adoption or surrogacy.
Womb transplantation remains a complex and experimental treatment, requiring major surgery, immunosuppressive therapy and assisted reproduction techniques. However, the success of this case strengthens evidence that transplants from deceased donors can lead to viable pregnancies.
Bell has said she hopes the achievement will help make the procedure more widely available in the future, giving other women the possibility of experiencing pregnancy themselves.
For now, the birth represents a rare combination of surgical innovation, reproductive science and organ donation — and, for one family, the arrival of a child once thought impossible.