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First UK Baby Born After Womb Transplant From Deceased Donor

A charity-led programme demonstrates the procedure can produce healthy births using temporary uterine transplants to avoid lifelong immunosuppression.

Overview

  • Hugo Powell was delivered by caesarean in December 2025 at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London, weighing 6lb 13oz (3.1kg).
  • His mother, Grace Bell, was born with MRKH syndrome and received a deceased-donor womb in 2024 in a seven-hour operation led by surgeon Isabel Quiroga at the Oxford Transplant Centre.
  • IVF and embryo transfer were carried out months after the transplant at The Lister Fertility Clinic, with specialist NHS care through pregnancy culminating in a planned delivery.
  • The donor remains unnamed; her family gave specific consent for womb donation distinct from standard organ donor permissions, and five of her other organs benefited four recipients.
  • Womb Transplant UK reports five transplants performed nationwide—two from living donors and three from deceased donors—resulting in two births to date, with other recipients progressing through IVF.