Baby Girl Becomes First Child In UK To Be Born From Womb Transplant

In a UK medical first that sounds like something straight out of sci-fi (but with more nappies), a baby girl named Amy Isabel has become the first child in the country to be born from a womb transplant.

Her mother, Grace Davidson, 36, who was born without a uterus due to a rare condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, received the life-changing transplant in early 2023—from her older sister Amy.

“We have been given the greatest gift we could ever have asked for,” said Grace. “It sort of feels like there’s a completeness now where there maybe wasn’t before.”

The transplant, the first of its kind in the UK, gave Grace a functioning womb for the first time in her life. With seven embryos created and frozen ahead of the operation, one was later transferred via IVF—and several months later, Amy Isabel arrived via planned caesarean section.

Her dad, Angus, called the moment “incredible”: “Both of us just broke down in emotional tears… it had been such a long wait.”

Womb transplants aren’t brand new globally—the first successful one happened in Sweden over a decade ago—but they’re edging closer to becoming a more widely accepted, though still complex, fertility solution. With more than 100 women worldwide having undergone the procedure, around 50 babies have now been born as a result.

Image @lotteegs via IG

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In the UK, three transplants have taken place since Grace’s, but this marks the first successful birth.

The technique isn’t simple. A womb transplant requires three major surgeries: one to receive the womb, a caesarean to deliver the baby, and finally, a hysterectomy to remove the donated womb once it’s done its job. Because the operation isn’t life-saving, long-term use is discouraged due to the risks of anti-rejection drugs.

Still, for people born without a uterus, it opens up a once-impossible possibility: carrying a child.

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Professor Richard Smith and Isabel Quiroga, the lead surgeons on the transplant, were also present at the birth. Grace and Angus even named their daughter after Quiroga.

“We’ve waited a very, very long time for this,” said Prof Smith. “There’s been quite a lot of tears shed… Ironically, the scariest bit of the day was when they asked me to hold their baby.”

For Grace’s sister and donor, Amy Purdie, it was worth every step: “The birth of my niece was worth every moment.”

It might not be a routine procedure just yet—but for thousands of women, it’s a future full of hope.