The first baby has been born in the UK from a mother who had a womb transplant, it was revealed today.
The baby girl, named Amy Isabel, was delivered by caesarean section at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London.
Grace, a 36-year-old woman from southern England, was born without a functioning womb, making it impossible for her to carry a pregnancy.
That changed in early 2023 when she became the first person in the UK to receive a womb transplant through the Womb Transplant UK living donor programme.
The donor was her sister, Amy, after whom the baby is named. Isabel is a tribute to Miss Isabel Quiroga, one of the lead surgeons in the transplant procedure.
The transplant was the result of over 25 years of research led by Professor Richard Smith, a consultant gynaecological surgeon and founder of Womb Transplant UK, and Miss Quiroga, a consultant transplant and endocrine surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The surgery was performed at the Oxford Transplant Centre, part of the Churchill Hospital, and IVF treatment was carried out at the Lister Fertility Clinic in London.
The birth is part of a charity-funded programme run by Womb Transplant UK, which aims to perform five living donor transplants. Each case is approved by the Human Tissue Authority, ensuring all donations are made freely and ethically. A separate deceased donor programme is also being developed.
One in 5,000 women in the UK is born without a viable womb, and many others lose theirs due to illness or surgery. Globally, over 100 womb transplants have taken place, resulting in more than 50 healthy births.
Speaking after the birth, Grace said: “We have been given the greatest gift we could ever have asked for. We sincerely hope this can become a reality for more women.”
Her sister Amy added: “Watching Grace become a mum has been worth every moment.”
Medical professionals across the NHS hailed the achievement as a milestone for fertility treatment and women’s health, offering new hope for those previously unable to conceive or carry a child.
Womb Transplant UK continues to raise funds to support further transplants and research into reproductive health. Amy was born in February 2025.
