First British baby born using transplanted womb from deceased donor

British mother Grace Bell, who was born without a viable womb due to MRKH syndrome, gave birth to baby boy Hugo at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in west London just before Christmas 2025, becoming the first woman in the UK to successfully carry a child using a womb transplanted from a deceased donor. The 10-week-old baby, weighing nearly 7lbs at birth, represents a medical breakthrough that offers hope to thousands of women facing similar fertility challenges. Bell and her partner Steve Powell paid tribute to the anonymous donor's family for their "incredible gift," while also acknowledging the dedicated medical teams in Oxford and London who supported their journey to parenthood. Bell, who is in her 30s, was diagnosed with MRKH syndrome at age 16, a condition affecting approximately 5,000 women in the UK that results in being born without a womb while maintaining normal ovarian function. The couple initially considered surrogacy as their only option until Bell received a life-changing phone call about the availability of a deceased donor's womb. The 10-hour transplant surgery took place at The Churchill Hospital in Oxford in June 2024, followed by IVF treatment and embryo transfer at The Lister Fertility Clinic in London. "I was in complete shock and really excited," Bell recalled of the moment she learned a transplant was possible, expressing daily gratitude toward the donor family "who gave me the biggest gift: the gift of life." This groundbreaking birth is part of a UK clinical research trial involving 10 womb transplants from deceased donors, with three having been performed so far but this being the first successful pregnancy. The medical team, led by Prof Richard Smith who has researched womb transplantation for over 25 years, celebrated this achievement as a "ground-breaking moment" that could revolutionize treatment for women born without wombs. The couple honored Prof Smith by giving their son the middle name Richard, acknowledging his instrumental role in their journey. Following Hugo's birth, Bell described the experience as "simply a miracle," recalling waking up to see her newborn son's face and feeling as though she needed to "wake up from a dream." The successful procedure adds to a growing global record of womb transplantation, with over 100 such operations worldwide resulting in more than 70 healthy births. Unlike other organ donations, womb transplantation requires special family consent beyond standard organ donation agreements. The anonymous donor's family expressed "tremendous pride" in their daughter's legacy, noting she also donated five other organs that saved four lives. The medical team, including transplant surgeon Isabel Quiroga, emphasized that this European breakthrough could become a regular treatment option for increasing numbers of women of child-bearing age without viable wombs, though the transplanted organ is typically removed after one or two births to avoid long-term immunosuppression medication.