A woman in the UK has made history as the first to give birth following a womb transplant. Grace Davidson, 36, who was born without a uterus due to a rare condition, and her husband Angus, 37, welcomed their daughter, Amy Isabel, after a groundbreaking procedure.
Grace’s sister, Amy Purdie, 42, donated her womb during an eight-hour surgery in 2023. The baby, named after Amy and the surgeon Isabel Quiroga, was born via caesarean section on February 27 at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London. Grace said holding her daughter for the first time felt surreal.
This success offers hope to women without a womb or those with non-functioning ones. In the UK, three other womb transplants have been carried out using deceased donors. Ten more women are awaiting approval for transplants funded by Womb Transplant UK.
The birth is the culmination of 25 years of research led by Prof. Richard Smith. He described the achievement as “astonishing” and deeply emotional. Isabel Quiroga, who helped perfect the transplant technique, shared her joy for the couple’s success.
Grace, born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, had frozen embryos from IVF before receiving her sister’s womb. After the transplant, one embryo was successfully implanted.
Grace and Angus, who had waited years to become parents, described the birth as a deeply emotional moment. Amy Purdie said donating her womb was “worth every moment.”
More than 100 womb transplants have been performed worldwide, leading to at least 50 successful births, with the first taking place in Sweden in 2014.
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