First British Baby Born Using Transplanted Womb From Dead Donor

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by msmash

February 25, 2026

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A groundbreaking milestone was achieved with the birth of Hugo, a 10-week-old boy who became the first baby born in the UK using a womb transplanted from a deceased donor. His mother, Grace Bell, was born without a viable womb due to MRKH syndrome, a rare condition affecting one in every 5,000 women. After undergoing a complex 10-hour transplant procedure at The Churchill Hospital in Oxford, Bell successfully carried Hugo to term. He was born just before Christmas 2025, weighing nearly 7lbs, at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London following IVF treatment and embryo transfer. This historic birth is part of a UK clinical trial aiming to perform 10 womb transplants from deceased donors, with Bell’s case being one of three completed so far. Globally, over 100 womb transplants have been performed, resulting in more than 70 healthy births. Earlier in 2025, another milestone was reached when baby Amy became the first UK birth from a living womb donation, as her mother received her sister’s womb in January 2023. This medical advancement holds significant implications for individuals affected by conditions like MRKH syndrome, offering new hope for those facing infertility due to non-viable wombs. Womb transplants represent a cutting-edge approach to infertility treatment, bridging the gap between reproductive challenges and the possibility of parenthood. While ethical considerations and long-term outcomes continue to be explored, these developments mark a transformative era in fertility medicine, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in modern healthcare. The success of Hugo’s birth not only highlights the potential of deceased

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Originally published on Slashdot on 2/25/2026