UK’s First Baby Born Following Womb Transplant

A healthy baby girl named Amy has made history as the first child in the UK to be born to a mother who received a womb transplant. Her arrival in February 2025 marks a significant breakthrough in reproductive medicine, and an extraordinary act of sisterly love.

Grace Davidson, 36, was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a rare condition in which the womb is absent or underdeveloped, though the ovaries function normally. Growing up with the knowledge that she could not carry her own child was heartbreaking. But today, thanks to pioneering surgery, dedicated NHS teams, and her sister Amy’s selfless gift, Grace is a mother at last.

“It was quite overwhelming,” Grace said of holding her baby for the first time. “We’d never really let ourselves imagine what it would be like for her to be here.”

A Groundbreaking Journey

Grace and her husband Angus first explored womb transplant options in 2018. After discovering her mother’s womb was not a suitable match, one of Grace’s sisters, Amy Purdie – a mother of two – bravely stepped forward. After extensive medical and psychological screening, she was confirmed as a living donor.

In February 2023, following a long delay due to the Covid pandemic, the transplant went ahead at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital. The intricate procedure involved over 30 medics and lasted 17 hours.

Within two weeks of the surgery, Grace had her first period – a powerful indication that the transplant was successful. She became pregnant on her first round of IVF.

Nine months later, baby Amy – named in honour of the aunt who made her birth possible – was delivered via planned Caesarean section at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London. Her middle name, Isabel, pays tribute to the lead transplant surgeon, Isabel Quiroga.

A Message of Hope

This birth brings new hope to the estimated 15,000 women in the UK of childbearing age without a functioning uterus, including around 5,000 born with MRKH.

Grace’s story also highlights the emotional and physical challenges of infertility, and the significance of choice in how women create their families. For Grace, carrying her child was incredibly important.

“I have always had a mothering instinct,” she shared. “But for years I had been suppressing it because it was too painful to go there.”

Her husband Angus described naming their daughter after Amy as “an absolute no-brainer,” and said they would never be able to fully thank her.

The Future of Womb Transplants

The surgical team behind Grace’s transplant is currently conducting a clinical trial that will include 15 womb transplants – five from living donors and ten from deceased donors. Since Grace’s operation, three additional transplants have been carried out using wombs from deceased donors.

Professor Richard Smith, a gynaecological surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare and founder of Womb Transplant UK, has been researching this field for over two decades. He described Amy’s birth as “a joyful and hopeful moment,” made possible by teamwork, science, and compassion.

Womb transplants remain complex and costly – approximately £30,000 per procedure – and involve the use of immunosuppressant medications to prevent rejection. Grace hopes to have one more child before her donated womb is removed, which will end the need for these medications and reduce long-term health risks.

A Sister’s Love

Amy Purdie says she has no regrets about her decision to donate her womb. “It didn’t feel like a loss,” she said, “because the benefits for Grace were so immediate and dramatic.”

The bond between the sisters has only deepened through this experience. “It’s a huge act of sisterly love,” Grace says with emotion. “It was incredibly difficult to let her do that for me.”

At MAMA Academy, we celebrate this moment as a beacon of hope, resilience, and the power of family. Baby Amy’s story is a powerful reminder of how far maternal medicine has come – and how much love it can inspire.