Daijiworld Media Network - London
London, Apr 8: In a landmark moment for British medical history, a woman has given birth following a womb transplant the first such case in the UK, confirmed Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital on Tuesday.
Grace Davidson, a 36-year-old from southern England, was born without a functioning womb. That changed in early 2023 when she received a womb donated by her sister, Amy, through the Womb Transplant UK living donor programme. The transplant was performed at the Oxford Transplant Centre, part of the Churchill Hospital.
Grace later underwent IVF at HCA UK's Lister Fertility Clinic in London and was closely monitored throughout her pregnancy at Churchill Hospital and Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, where she gave birth via caesarean section in February 2025.
Both mother and baby girl, named Amy Isabel in honour of her aunt and Miss Isabel Quiroga, co-lead of the transplant operation, are doing well, the hospital confirmed.
Dr Ippokratis Sarris, a consultant in reproductive medicine and executive committee member of the British Fertility Society, hailed the birth as “a remarkable milestone in reproductive medicine,” noting that while the procedure may benefit a small number of women, it represents a major advancement in medical science and fertility care.
Approximately one in 5,000 women in Britain are born without a viable womb, while others lose theirs due to cancer or other health complications. The UK operation joins over 100 womb transplants carried out worldwide, which have resulted in more than 50 successful births since the first in Sweden in 2013.
Professor Richard Smith, founder and chair of Womb Transplant UK, said the birth is the result of over 25 years of pioneering research. “Our charity-funded programme is still at an early stage, but we hope to help more women who currently cannot conceive or carry a child,” he stated.
The Womb Transplant UK programme includes five live donor transplants and ten deceased donor transplants under a Health Research Authority-approved research plan. The programme is entirely funded by public donations.