Grace Bell becomes the first woman in the UK to give birth after a womb transplant from a deceased donor, a milestone for women with MRKH syndrome
Grace Bell has become the first woman in the United Kingdom to give birth after receiving a womb transplant from a deceased donor, marking a major medical milestone.
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The 31-year-old IT programme manager was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, a rare condition in which the uterus is absent or underdeveloped.
Diagnosed at 16, Grace described the news as devastating, recalling how she “uncontrollably” cried after learning she did not have a womb.
Her son, Hugo Powell, was delivered by Caesarean section in December at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, weighing 6lb 13oz. “It’s simply a miracle,” Grace said. “I never, ever thought that this would be possible.”
Grace and her partner, Steve Powell, initially considered surrogacy but later joined the womb transplant programme run by Womb Transplant UK.
In 2024, she underwent a transplant operation lasting more than seven hours at the Oxford Transplant Centre and later began fertility treatment.
“From the moment of my diagnosis, every birthday when I blew out my candles, I would wish for this – to be able to experience pregnancy,” she said. Both parents described Hugo’s birth as surreal. Steve added that their journey “is nothing short of a miracle after everything we’ve been through.”
The couple may consider a second child in the future, after which surgeons plan to remove the transplanted womb to prevent long-term use of immunosuppressant medications, which carry risks including infection and high blood pressure.
Grace expressed profound gratitude to her donor and her family: “Their kindness and selflessness to a complete stranger is the reason I have been able to fulfil my lifelong dream of being a mum.” The donor’s family, though grieving their loss, urged others to consider organ donation.
Globally, around 25 to 30 babies have been born following deceased womb donations, with Hugo being the first in the UK.
Womb Transplant UK has performed five transplants in the country, resulting in two live births and ongoing fertility treatments for three women.
MRKH syndrome affects roughly one in 5,000 women in the UK. While affected women have functioning ovaries and go through puberty, they do not menstruate due to the absence or underdevelopment of the uterus.
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This groundbreaking birth represents a historic achievement in reproductive medicine and a new hope for women with uterine factor infertility.
