Grace Bell has become the first woman in the UK to give birth after receiving a womb transplant from a deceased donor, marking a major milestone in medical history.
The IT programme manager from Kent was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), a rare condition in which the uterus is absent or underdeveloped. She was diagnosed at 16 and has spoken about the devastation she felt at the time, recalling how she “uncontrollably” cried after being told she did not have a womb.
Her son, Hugo Powell, was born by Caesarean section in December at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. He weighed 6lb 13oz at birth. “It’s simply a miracle,” Grace said. “I never, ever thought that this would be possible.”
After meeting her partner, Steve Powell, Grace told him about her diagnosis straight away. The couple initially planned to pursue surrogacy but later joined the womb transplant programme run by Womb Transplant UK.
In 2024, after several years in the programme, Grace underwent a transplant operation lasting more than seven hours at the Oxford Transplant Centre. She later began private fertility treatment and described finding out she was pregnant as feeling like “the luckiest girl in the world.”
“From the moment of my diagnosis, every birthday when I blew out my candles, I would wish for this – to be able to experience pregnancy,” she said.
Hugo’s birth was described by both parents as surreal. “I remember waking up in the morning and seeing his little face… and it felt like I needed to wake up from a dream. It was just incredible,” Grace said. Steve added that their journey “is nothing short of a miracle after everything we’ve been through.”
The couple may consider having a second child in the future. After that, surgeons plan to remove the transplanted womb so Grace does not have to remain on long-term immunosuppressant medication, which carries risks including infection and high blood pressure.
Grace expressed deep gratitude to her donor and her family. “There are no words to say thank you enough to my donor and her family,” she said. “Their kindness and selflessness to a complete stranger is the reason I have been able to fulfil my lifelong dream of being a mum.”
The donor’s family said that although losing their daughter had “shattered” their world, they found solace in knowing her final act was one of generosity. They urged others to consider organ donation.
Around 25 to 30 babies worldwide have been born following deceased womb donations, with Hugo being the first in the UK. Womb Transplant UK has so far carried out five transplants in the country, with two babies born and three women currently undergoing IVF.
MRKH affects approximately one in 5,000 women in the UK. While those with the condition have functioning ovaries and go through puberty, they do not have periods due to the absence or underdevelopment of the uterus.
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