Mum gives birth after UK's first deceased-donor womb transplant

Grace Bell, born without a womb, gave birth to a healthy son in December 2025 after receiving a womb from a deceased donor as part of a UK research programme funded by Womb Transplant UK.

Grace Bell, in her early thirties and living in southern England, gave birth to a healthy baby boy in December 2025 after receiving a womb from a deceased donor. The delivery was by caesarean at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital. This makes her the first woman in the UK to carry and give birth after a deceased-donor womb transplant. The pregnancy and transplant were carried out as part of a Womb Transplant UK research programme that aims to study around 10 transplants. Key facts: - The baby, named Hugo Richard Norman Powell, was born healthy by caesarean at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in December 2025. - The womb transplant used a deceased donor; the donor family had already agreed to organ donation and gave extra consent for this research donation because womb donation is not covered by the NHS organ donor register. - The transplant surgery took under seven hours and was followed by IVF and embryo transfer at the Lister Fertility Clinic in London; Grace's pregnancy was monitored at Oxford and Imperial College NHS hospitals. - The programme is led by Professor Richard Smith and Miss Isabel Quiroga and is funded by the Womb Transplant UK charity; it includes a living donor arm and the INSITU study for deceased donors. - NHS Blood and Transplant said most families asked supported the additional consent process, and the programme covers treatment costs for each case to avoid burdening NHS services. Summary: This birth is presented by the research team and donor family as a significant milestone in the UK womb transplant programme and follows international work on the procedure. The research programme is ongoing; wider availability and future developments are undetermined at this time.