First UK Baby Born After Deceased Donor Womb Transplant

A baby boy has become the first child in the United Kingdom to be born after his mother received a womb transplant from a deceased donor, marking a major milestone in reproductive medicine.

According to a report by the BBC on Tuesday, the baby, Hugo, was delivered just before Christmas 2025 at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in west London, weighing nearly 7lbs.

His mother, Grace Bell, in her 30s, was born without a functioning womb due to Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a rare condition affecting about one in 5,000 women in the UK. Although she has normal ovaries, she does not menstruate and was informed at age 16 that she would be unable to carry her own child.

Bell underwent a 10-hour transplant procedure at The Churchill Hospital in June 2024. Months later, she received in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment at The Lister Fertility Clinic in London. A successful embryo transfer later resulted in the pregnancy.

Describing the birth of her son as extraordinary, Bell said: “It was simply a miracle.”

Recounting the emotional moment, she added: “I remember waking up in the morning and seeing his little face, with his little dummy in, and it felt like I needed to wake up from a dream. It was just incredible.”

Bell and her partner, Steve Powell, named their son Hugo Richard in honour of Prof Richard Smith, the clinical lead at the charity Womb Transplant UK and a consultant gynaecological surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

Smith, who was present at the birth, told PA Media: “It’s been an unbelievable journey. Our whole team has been hanging together now for years and years to make this happen. So to me it’s been fantastic, just amazing.”

In a tribute reported by The Guardian, the donor’s family said their decision to donate had “given other families the precious gift of time, hope, healing and now life.”

They added: “As her parents, we feel tremendous pride at the legacy she leaves behind – a legacy of compassion, courage and love that continues to touch lives even after her passing.”

Medical experts disclosed that the transplanted womb will be removed once the couple decide they have completed their family, in order to prevent Bell from remaining on long-term immunosuppressant medication.

Globally, reports indicate that between 25 and 30 babies have been born following deceased donor womb transplants, while most procedures worldwide still involve living donors.

The UK’s first womb transplant was performed in 2023 using a living donor. However, womb donation is not included under routine organ donor registration or deemed consent laws in the UK, meaning families must give specific approval before such a donation can proceed.

The development is being hailed as a significant breakthrough in fertility treatment and organ transplantation, offering renewed hope to women born without a uterus or those who lose it due to illness.