Woman With A Womb Transplant Gives Birth In UK

A British woman has successfully given birth to a healthy baby girl following a womb transplant from her sister, marking a significant milestone as the first such case in the UK that could potentially benefit many other women, according to the Daily Mail.

Grace Davidson, 36, who was reportedly born without a uterus, and her husband Angus, 37, expressed their joy at the arrival of their daughter, Amy Isabel, on February 27, calling it “the greatest gift we could ever have asked for.”

Grace learned at the age of 19 that she had Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome, a reproductive condition that results in women being born with either no uterus or an underdeveloped one.

A team of 20 medical professionals was present during the cesarean section at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London to manage any potential complications. Fortunately, Amy was born healthy, weighing 2.06 kg (4.5 pounds), and did not require any specialized care.

Amy’s birth occurred three weeks earlier than anticipated due to Grace’s cervix beginning to shorten, indicating that labor might be approaching. The medical team opted for a cesarean delivery out of an abundance of caution to minimize stress on the transplanted uterus before Grace went into labor.

Grace, a dietitian from North London, described the moment she held her baby for the first time as “beyond amazing.”

“It was undoubtedly the best day of our lives, filled with joy, happiness, and tears. I had longed to be a mother for so long,” she shared with the Daily Mail.

The baby was named in tribute to Grace’s sister, Amy Purdie, 42, a mother of two who generously donated her womb to Grace in February 2023.

Amy reportedly underwent eight hours of surgery followed by several weeks of recovery to donate her womb. She expressed that providing the couple with the opportunity to have a child was “a huge privilege,” despite her aversion to “hospitals, needles, or blood.”

The baby’s middle name pays tribute to Isabel Quiroga, a consultant in transplantation and endocrine surgery at The Churchill Hospital in Oxford, who co-led the extensive 17-hour procedure to extract and implant the donated womb.

Miss Quiroga, who was present during the delivery, was said to have been moved to tears in the operating room when the couple shared their naming decision with her.

According to reports, Professor Richard Smith, a consultant gynaecological surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London, who collaborated with Miss Quiroga on the operation, stated that the birth “provides new hope for thousands of women in the UK who might otherwise never have the chance to experience the joy of motherhood.”

It was also disclosed that the medical team has successfully performed three additional womb transplants on women over the past two years, utilizing wombs donated by deceased individuals—another first for the UK.

“They are all doing well, menstruating regularly, and we are optimistic about potential pregnancies in the near future,” Professor Smith informed the Mail.

The couple intends to attempt to conceive one more child, as the womb will be removed within five years to allow Grace to discontinue her immunosuppressant medication, which may increase cancer risk.