April 8, 2025

expert reaction to first baby being born from a womb transplant in the UK

Scientists comment on the first baby being born from a womb transplant in the UK.

Dr Nicola Williams, Wellcome Lecturer in Ethics of Human Reproduction, Lancaster University, said: 

“Clinicians, lawyers and ethicists from the UK have long been involved in research surrounding this novel transplant, and it is encouraging to hear of the birth of a healthy baby following the UK’s first uterus transplant. While this is a key milestone in developing this treatment, there is still much work to do to ensure that all can benefit. Crucially, this includes establishing the long-term safety of the procedure for recipients, donors, and children born after uterus transplantation. Given the novelty of the procedure and its high costs (both physical and financial) for donors and recipients, careful consideration needs to be given to balancing the risks and benefits of this procedure, and teams worldwide must work together to ensure safety, efficacy and the adequate monitoring of long-term health outcomes for all involved.”

Dr Laura O’Donovan, Lecturer in Law, University of Sheffield, said:

“This has been a long time in the making, and I’m so pleased for the recipient, her family and the clinical team. As the UK sees more of these transplants it will become increasingly important to discuss NHS funding priorities and access policies to ensure that the treatment is available as a real option for those with uterine factor infertility. For example, should uterus transplants be publicly funded, and who should be able to access them? – these are difficult decisions that NHS commissioners will need to make in the context of scarce resources and the current IVF postcode lottery, which has already resulted in unequal access to fertility treatment.

Prof Adam Balen, Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement by the team lead by Professor Richard Smith who has been researching this very exacting surgical procedure for many years. This presents the opportunity for women to conceive a pregnancy without need for surrogacy, which until now has been the only option for women without a womb to have a baby.”

Dr Ippokratis Sarris, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine, Director of King’s Fertility and Executive Committee Member of the British Fertility Society, said:

“The birth of the first UK baby following a womb transplant is a remarkable milestone in reproductive medicine. It offers real hope to women with absolute uterine factor infertility, providing an alternative to surrogacy. While this complex procedure will only be suitable for a small number of women, it marks an extraordinary advance in science and care. Congratulations to the dedicated clinical and scientific team for their years of commitment, and to the courageous women who undertook this pioneering treatment.”

Mr Stuart Lavery, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine/Honorary Associate Professor, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), said:

“This amazing event represents both a personal miracle for the couple involved but also a vindication for the team of surgeons and scientists who have for so many years worked tirelessly to get to this place. Like so many milestones in UK Reproductive Medicine, it takes a combination of a courageous patient and a committed and supportive medical team to push the scientific boundaries in the hope of helping more couples have the families they desire.”

Prof Alison Campbell, Chief Scientific Officer, Care Fertility:

“It’s truly incredible how science is making more families possible and to see this progress in reproductive medicine. The success of uterine transplantation is a huge milestone for people who believed it was impossible to carry a child. This news gives hope and promises to further expand reproductive freedom.”

Prof Melanie Davies, Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Consultant Gynaecologist, University College London Hospitals, said:

“The first UK birth after womb transplantation is a fantastic achievement. It is wonderful for the couple concerned, especially Grace who never thought she could carry a child, congratulations!  And it must be immensely satisfying for the team of doctors and scientists to see this outcome – in particular, congratulations go to Prof Richard Smith, who has held this vision for 25 years and had to overcome many hurdles on the way, not least raising the funds for the programme. It required skills from many specialities: gynaecology, pelvic surgery, organ transplantation, IVF, and maternal medicine. It is an exemplar of teamwork and dedication.

“This gives hope to other women who have been born without a womb and may also help some young women who have needed a hysterectomy. The only alternative for these women is surrogacy, which is not easy to access and not always acceptable. Womb transplantation remains a challenging process, involving major surgery for the recipient, who will go through IVF before the procedure, and afterwards needs immunosuppressive drugs to avoid tissue rejection. The transplanted womb will need to be removed once her family is complete. The ethical aspects are thoughtfully considered, including the risk to the living donor who also undergoes major pelvic surgery.

“This is not a world first, there have been a small number of successful births in other countries, notably in Sweden. But for the very first patient having a womb transplant in the UK to give birth so soon afterwards demonstrates the care that has been taken in preparing for this well-deserved success”

Sarah Norcross, Director of the Progress Educational Trust (PET), said:

“We at PET could not be happier to learn of the birth of Amy Isabel. This is a testament to many years of hard work and perseverance on the part of Professor Richard Smith, Isabel Quiroga, and the rest of the team at Womb Transplant UK, plus remarkable determination on the part of Grace Davidson and Amy Purdie. It has been little more than a decade since the world’s first ever live birth following a womb transplant, and now the UK has its own womb transplant success story. This news will give hope to other women who wish to carry a pregnancy, but who have no uterus of their own.”

Prof Andrew Shennan, Professor of Obstetrics, King’s College London, said:

“Although infertility is common, many women can achieve a pregnancy through assisted medical techniques such as IVF. Very few women have the problem related to an absent or abnormal uterus (about 1 in 500) but for them a womb transplant could be a solution rather than opt for surrogacy (using another woman to carry the pregnancy or adopt. The procedure is very specialised and requires immunosuppressive drugs and caesarean section, but these cases show it can be successful, now also in the UK.”

All our previous output on this subject can be seen at this weblink:

https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-first-womb-transplant-performed-in-the-uk/

Declared interests

Dr Nicola Williams “I have previously co-authored papers and collaborated with members of the clinical team.”

Dr Laura O’Donovan “I have previously collaborated with members of the clinical team.”

Prof Adam Balen: “None to declare”

Dr Ippokratis Sarris: “None to declare”

Mr Stuart Lavery: “None to declare”

Prof Alison Campbell “Alison Campbell is a minor shareholder in Care Fertility”

Prof Melanie Davies “Nothing relevant to womb transplants, I am Professor of Reproductive Medicine with a special interest in fertility preservation”

Sarah Norcross “PET is a charity which improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.”

Prof Andrew Shennan “No conflicts”