First UK Baby Born via Deceased Donor Womb Transplant

- The baby, named Hugo, was born in December 2025 at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London. His mother, Grace Bell, was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a rare condition where the uterus and vagina are underdeveloped or absent. - This is the first birth of its kind in the UK, and it is believed to be only the third such birth in Europe. Worldwide, it is estimated that there have been about 25 to 30 births from deceased donor womb transplants. - The transplant was performed at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford by a team co-led by consultant surgeon Isabel Quiroga. The procedure was part of a clinical trial funded by the charity Womb Transplant UK, which is supporting 10 transplants from deceased donors. - Globally, over 100 womb transplants have been performed, resulting in more than 50 babies being born. The first successful womb transplant was performed in Sweden in 2011, with the first baby born from this procedure in 2014. - Uterine factor infertility (UFI) affects approximately 1 in 500 women. This can be due to congenital conditions like MRKH or from hysterectomies for cancer or other illnesses. - The use of deceased donors offers an alternative to living donors, which avoids putting a healthy person through the surgery of donating their womb. Donation for this research program is not covered by the standard NHS Organ Donor Register and requires specific consent from the donor's family. - The entire surgical and anesthetic team for the first UK living donor womb transplant, which preceded this deceased donor case, volunteered their time for the procedures. The cost of the transplants in the research program is covered by the Womb Transplant UK charity. - Following the transplant, the recipient must take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent organ rejection and any subsequent pregnancy is considered high-risk, requiring close monitoring and delivery via Caesarean section.