First Baby in Britain Born After Uterus Transplant from Deceased Donor

For the first time in the United Kingdom, a baby has been born to a woman with a uterus transplanted from a deceased donor. Surgeons from London and Oxford who performed the transplant and monitored the mother throughout her pregnancy and delivery described the birth as a “breakthrough moment” that could offer hope to many women with complex diagnoses.

Baby Hugo is now 10 weeks old. He was born shortly before Christmas 2025 at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in west London. His birth weight was approximately 3.2 kilograms.

The boy’s parents, Grace Bell and Steve Powell, describe their son’s birth as a true miracle. According to them, the donor’s family showed incredible “kindness and selflessness” and gave them an “extraordinary gift” by agreeing to the transplant, reports BBC.

This is not the first time in the UK that a woman with a transplanted uterus has given birth. In early 2025, a girl named Amy was born — but that was the first case following a uterus transplant from a living donor.

Hugo’s mother, Grace, is around 30 years old. She was born without a uterus and never had menstrual periods, although her ovaries function normally. This condition is known as Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, which affects approximately one in 5,000 women in the UK.

At the age of 16, she was told she would not be able to carry her own child.

To become parents, the couple had two options — to hope for a uterus transplant or to pursue surrogacy.

Grace recalls that when she received the call informing her that a uterus had been found and that transplantation was possible, she was “in complete shock.” At the same time, she clearly understood what an “incredible gift” the donor’s family was giving her — the chance to carry and give birth to her own child.

“I think about my donor and her family every day and pray that they find comfort in knowing that their daughter gave me the greatest gift — the gift of life,” Grace said. “A part of her will live on forever.”

The donor’s name and cause of death have not been disclosed.

Grace’s uterus transplant surgery took place at Churchill Hospital in June 2024 and lasted 10 hours. Several months later, the couple underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF), followed by embryo transfer at the Lister Fertility Clinic.

“It was simply a miracle. I remember waking up in the morning, seeing his little face with a pacifier in his mouth, and feeling like I needed to wake up from a dream. It was just incredible,” Grace recalled about her first moments after her son’s birth.

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