24 Feb 2026 • For Grace Bell, motherhood once seemed impossible. Born without a womb, she never imagined she would carry her own child. In December 2025, that changed. Grace gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Hugo, becoming the first woman in the UK, and only the third in Europe, to deliver a baby following a womb transplant from a deceased donor.

The transplant surgery lasted nearly seven hours, followed by IVF and embryo transfer. Grace was closely monitored at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and delivered via caesarean section at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital. Both mother and baby are reported to be well.

The breakthrough follows more than 25 years of research led by Professor Richard Smith and Miss Isabel Quiroga. Worldwide, more than 100 womb transplants have been performed, resulting in over 70 healthy births.

In the UK, this programme includes both living and deceased donor pathways, with procedures funded privately to avoid financial burden on the NHS.

Source: NHS | Read full story