Khaberni - The British capital, London, witnessed a first-of-its-kind birth in the country, where a British woman gave birth to her first child after undergoing a womb transplant from a deceased donor.
According to a case report published by the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust on February 24, the baby, "Hugo Powell", was born at Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospital weighing 3.09 kilograms. He is the first British child born using this technique, which has only been recorded in two other similar birth cases in Europe.
It is noted that between 25 and 30 children around the world have been born from post-mortem womb donations. More than 100 womb transplant procedures have been performed worldwide, resulting in the birth of more than 70 healthy children.
More than two-thirds of womb transplants are usually from living donors, while the remaining third are from deceased donors.
The child born after a womb transplant from a deceased donor has no genetic link to the donor.
His mother, Grace Bell (42 years old), suffers from the rare "Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome", which prevents the development or existence of a womb. Doctors told her in her teenage years that she would not be able to conceive and bear children, but she described the arrival of her child as "a miracle come true".
Bell said in press statements: "I never thought this was possible. I am happier today than I have been all my life." She also spoke about the donor: "There are no words that can fully express my gratitude to her and her family. Thanks to their great altruism, I was able to accomplish my lifelong dream of becoming a mother."
Bell underwent the transplant in 2024, then received fertility treatment months later, giving birth to baby Hugo in December of the same year.
Meanwhile, the parents of the donor expressed their pride in their daughter's continued legacy even after her death, noting that she saved several lives, as five of her other organs were donated for transplantation in four other patients.
It is mentioned that the transplanted womb will be removed after the couple completes their childbearing stage, to spare Bell from taking life-long immunosuppressive drugs.
The transplant procedure was overseen by Professor Richard Smith, who described the journey as "incredible" and "astounding," praising the medical team's cohesion over the years to achieve this medical milestone.
The first womb transplant in the United Kingdom was performed in 2023, involving another patient with MRKH syndrome, Grace Davidson, who received a womb from her older sister, Amy, in a donation from a living person.
