Transplants from deceased donors only happen when the families of those who have died are asked specifically if they wish to donate the womb.
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A baby boy has become the first child in the UK to be born to a mother who received a womb from a dead donor.
Hugo Powell was delivered weighing 6lb 13oz (3.1kg) in December at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital.
The transplant marks the first birth in the UK using a womb from a deceased donor, with only two previous cases ever reported in Europe.
Hugo’s mother, Grace Bell, an IT programme manager, was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH), a rare condition resulting in an underdeveloped or missing womb.
His father, Steve Powell, works in finance, and the couple, who are both in their 30s, live in southern England.
Ms Bell, who was diagnosed with MRKH when she was 16, said “It’s simply a miracle. I never, ever thought that this would be possible. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
Describing Hugo’s birth by Caesarean section, she said: “I remember there was lots and lots of people in the room running around.
“I was holding Steve’s hand at the time… I remember trying to peek over the drapes, and Hugo finally got put in my arms, and this being the moment that everyone has been working so hard to achieve.
“Since I was 16, I never thought this was going to be possible. So it really is a miracle. It just felt quite unreal at the time because this has been a long journey for us both.
“I remember waking up in the morning and seeing his little face, with his little dummy in, and it felt like I needed to wake up from a dream. It was just incredible.”
Mr Powell said: “When he came over the curtain, it was just sort of overwhelming emotions. I felt like I wanted to cry but couldn’t.
“From where we started – first meeting – to where we are today, with Hugo, is nothing short of a miracle after everything we’ve been through.”
Ms Bell said she thinks of her womb donor every day and the generosity of the donor’s family.
“There are no words to say thank you enough to my donor and her family,” she said.
“Their kindness and selflessness to a complete stranger is the reason I have been able to fulfil my lifelong dream of being a mum.
“I hope they know that my child will always know of their incredible gift, and the miracle that brought him into this world.
“I think of my donor and her family every day and pray they find some peace in knowing their daughter gave me the biggest gift, the gift of life.
“A part of her will live on forever.”
Breaking down in tears, Ms Bell said the couple were “in disbelief” when they discovered she was pregnant, adding: “I felt the luckiest girl in the world.”
She added: “This isn’t a life-saving donation but it is a life-giving one.
“From the moment of my diagnosis, every birthday when I blew out my candles, I would wish for this – to be able to experience pregnancy.
“I want the donor’s family to know how much of a gift they have given to me. They have fulfilled all of my dreams, everything has come true.”
Five other organs from the donor were transplanted into four people, saving the lives of others.
The woman's parents said: “Losing our daughter has shattered our world in ways we can barely put into words.
“The grief is overwhelming and the ache of her absence is something we will carry forever.
“Yet even in this unimaginable pain, we’ve found a small measure of solace in knowing that her final act, her choice, was one of pure generosity.
“Through organ donation, she has given other families the precious gift of time, hope, healing and now life.
“As her parents, we feel tremendous pride at the legacy she leaves behind – a legacy of compassion, courage and love that continues to touch lives even after her passing.
“We urge others to consider donation so that more people in desperate need may be given the chance to live, just as our daughter so selflessly wished.”
Describing how she felt when told as a teenager that she had no womb, Ms Bell said she remembers “going into the hospital toilets and uncontrollably crying”.
The couple decided to give Hugo the middle name Richard, after Professor Richard Smith, clinical lead of the charity Womb Transplant UK and consultant gynaecological surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Prof Smith, who was present at the birth, said: “It’s been an unbelievable journey. Our whole team has been hanging together now for years and years to make this happen. So to me, it’s been fantastic, just amazing.”
About 25 to 30 babies have been born worldwide from deceased womb donation.
More than two-thirds of womb transplants generally involve living donors, while a third come from deceased donors.
Isabel Quiroga, consultant surgeon and clinical lead for organ retrieval at the Oxford Transplant Centre, part of Oxford University Hospitals, carried out the seven-hour womb transplant on Ms Bell in 2024.
Several months later, Ms Bell underwent fertility treatment at The Lister Fertility Clinic in London.
Miss Quiroga said: “It has been a long journey, and certainly we are delighted, especially for our patient, who’s been in our programme for a good number of years.
“Her dream has been to be a mother, so we are totally elated.”
Ms Bell and Mr Powell may decide to have a second baby, after which surgeons will remove the transplanted womb.
If it were left in situ, Ms Bell would face a lifetime of immunosuppressant drugs, which carry risks.
Womb Transplant UK has now performed and paid for five womb transplants in the UK so far – two involving a living donor and three using a deceased donor.
Two babies have been born and three transplant patients have not had a baby yet, but are undergoing private IVF.
Hugo’s birth follows the UK’s first womb transplant in 2023, which involved Grace Davidson, another MRKH patient, receiving a womb – also called the uterus – from her older sister, Amy, in a living donation.
Transplants from deceased donors only happen when the families of those who have died are asked specifically if they wish to donate the womb.
The womb is not covered by the normal consent for donation, nor by joining the organ donor register, and it is not covered by deemed consent (which presumes people want to donate unless they opt out).