UK welcomes 1st baby born to woman with transplanted womb
What's the story
In a historic medical milestone, the first woman in the UK with a transplanted womb has given birth to a baby girl. Grace Davidson, 36, was born without a functioning uterus due to Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome. In 2023, she had a successful womb transplant from her sister Amy Purdie and two years later, gave birth to her daughter. Davidson and her husband are now hopeful for another pregnancy.
Special journey
Baby named after womb donor
Baby Amy, named after her aunt who donated the womb, was born through Cesarean section at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in west London. Davidson called the moment "incredible" and "surreal," adding it was "overwhelming because we'd never really let ourselves imagine what it would be like for her to be here." Professor Richard Smith from Imperial College London, who led the organ retrieval team for Grace's transplant said this birth gives hope to many women without a functioning uterus.
Medical achievement
A groundbreaking procedure
The first-of-its-kind womb transplant surgery was performed in February 2023 by a team of over 30 medical professionals. The "life-enhancing and life-creating" procedure was led by surgeon Isabel Quiroga, who headed the transplant team at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford. Since then, three more womb transplants from deceased donors have been conducted as part of a clinical trial, with a total of 15 procedures planned.
Personal impact
The emotional journey of Grace and Angus
Grace and her husband Angus, who are originally from Scotland, had initially wanted to stay anonymous. However, after baby Amy arrived safely, they decided to share their story with BBC. Grace said carrying her own baby felt "really important," despite being offered options like surrogacy or adoption. "I have always had a mothering instinct," she said, "but for years I had been suppressing it because it was too painful to go there."
Hope
Future of womb transplants in the UK
Professor Smith, co-leader of the UK living donor program, said he was thrilled by Amy's birth. He also disclosed that about 10 women are undergoing fertility treatment or have embryos in storage, a requirement to be considered for womb transplantation. Each transplant costs about £30,000 (around ₹33 lakh) and Smith's charity Womb Transplant UK has enough funds to conduct two more procedures.