Womb Transplant Baby Born: First UK baby from deceased-donor womb delivered in London

Womb transplant baby born marks a medical milestone in the UK: Grace Bell, in her 30s, has given birth to Hugo after receiving a womb from a deceased donor. The birth — and the clinical pathway that led to it — is being described by surgeons and the family as a ground‑breaking moment for women with the same diagnosis.

Hugo’s delivery in west London and family reaction

The baby boy, Hugo Powell, was born in December — just before Christmas 2025 — at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in west London. Hugo weighed nearly 7lbs and was also recorded as 6lb 13oz (3. 1kg); he is now 10 weeks old. Grace Bell and her partner, Steve Powell of Kent, paid tribute to the donor and her family for their "kindness and selflessness" and called the donation an "incredible gift".

Grace Bell’s diagnosis, emotions and immediate memories

Bell, who was born without a viable womb and is in her 30s, lives with MRKH syndrome — she does not have periods but does have normal ovaries, a condition said to affect one in every 5, 000 women in the UK. She was told at age 16 that she would not be able to carry a child. When she received the phone call that a womb had been donated and a transplant might be possible she said she was "in complete shock" and "really excited"; she later summed up the experience with the line "words can't explain" and called Hugo "simply a miracle. "

Surgery, IVF and the clinical path to pregnancy

Bell's womb transplant operation lasted 10 hours and was carried out at The Churchill Hospital in Oxford in June 2024. The couple underwent IVF some months after the transplant, followed by embryo transfer at The Lister Fertility Clinic in London. On seeing Hugo after the birth, Bell said: "It was simply a miracle. 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. " She added that she thinks of her donor and the donor's family every day and prays they find some peace in knowing their daughter gave her "the biggest gift: the gift of life. "

The trial, the teams and surgical perspective

The successful transplant from a deceased donor is one of 10 such procedures being performed as part of a UK clinical research trial. Three womb transplants have already been carried out in the trial and this birth is the first baby resulting from those operations. Surgeons involved described the arrival of Hugo as "a ground‑breaking moment" that could give hope to more women with a similar diagnosis. Isabel Quiroga, consultant surgeon and clinical lead for organ retrieval at the Oxford Transplant Centre, part of Oxford University Hospitals, has carried out both womb transplants in the UK and warned there is a "precious amount of time" in which an organ from a deceased donor can be used — the team thinks that time is about 12 hours. She also noted that, technically, there have been more early failures internationally after transplants from deceased donors than after those from living donors.

Obstetric care, specialist staff and ongoing monitoring

Bryony Jones, a consultant obstetrician at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust who has delivered both of the babies born in the UK following womb transplants, said she is delighted and described delivering this child as "particularly special, " noting the whole team was present on the day. She said: "I have the best job – delivering any baby is really exciting. " Medical staff involved in the programme give time voluntarily through the charity Womb Transplant UK. Clinicians stress they are honest with patients about limited worldwide experience of uterine transplants but say many skills from caring for other organ transplant recipients are transferable. Women who have had womb transplants undergo extra appointments, additional scans to monitor fetal growth inside the womb and regular blood tests. Overall, more than 30 expert staff are involved in looking after each womb transplant patient.