Womb Transplant Baby Born: First UK Child Delivered After Deceased-Donor Uterus
Grace Bell has described the arrival of her son as "simply a miracle" after she became the first woman in the UK to give birth using a womb transplanted from a dead donor. The womb transplant baby born to Bell follows a 10-hour operation and subsequent IVF and embryo transfer, and marks the first successful birth among transplants in a UK clinical research trial.
Grace Bell and Partner Steve Powell Celebrate Hugo
Bell, who is in her 30s and lives with her partner Steve Powell in Kent, said "words can't explain" the experience of having a baby. The couple named their son Hugo, who is now 10 weeks old. Bell said she wakes each morning relieved and grateful: "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. "
Womb Transplant Baby Born: Hugo's Arrival
Hugo was born just before Christmas 2025 at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in west London, weighing nearly 7lbs. Bell and Powell publicly paid tribute to the "kindness and selflessness" of the donor and her family for what they called an "incredible gift. " Bell added, "I think of my donor and her family every day and pray they find some peace in knowing their daughter gave me the biggest gift: the gift of life. "
The Churchill Hospital Operation in June 2024
The transplant operation took place in June 2024 at The Churchill Hospital in Oxford and lasted 10 hours. Surgeons involved described the birth as "a ground-breaking moment" that could give hope to many more women with similar diagnoses. After the transplant, the couple underwent in vitro fertilisation some months later and an embryo transfer at The Lister Fertility Clinic in London.
Medical Background: MRKH Syndrome and Treatment Options
Bell was born without a viable womb and does not have periods but does have normal ovaries, a condition known as MRKH syndrome. The context states MRKH affects one in every 5, 000 women in the UK. At 16 she was told she would not be able to carry a child; the couple's only options were to hope for a womb transplant or to pursue surrogacy.
UK Clinical Research Trial: 10 Transplants, Three Completed
The birth follows a wider UK clinical research trial that is carrying out 10 deceased-donor womb transplants. Three such transplants have already been carried out within the trial; Hugo's birth is the first baby delivered from those procedures. The surgical teams in Oxford and London were specifically thanked by Bell and Powell for their support through the process.
The causal chain is direct: a deceased donor's womb was procured and transplanted in a 10-hour operation, which enabled successful IVF and embryo transfer months later, culminating in the live birth of Hugo. What makes this notable is that it demonstrates a complete sequence—from deceased-donor transplant through reproductive treatment to a live infant—within a structured clinical research programme.
Surgeons say the outcome could expand reproductive options for women born without a functional uterus. Bell's public reflections and the couple's gratitude toward the donor family underscore both the medical and human dimensions of the case, while the trial's remaining transplants will determine how widely the approach might be applied in future clinical care.
