Published: 24 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online
In a milestone for reproductive medicine, a baby boy has become the first child in the United Kingdom to be born to a mother who received a uterus transplanted from a deceased donor. The infant, Hugo Richard Norman Powell, was delivered by caesarean section in December at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Hugo weighed 6 lb 13 oz (3.1 kg) at birth and is reported to be healthy.
Hugo’s mother, Grace Bell, an IT programme manager born with Mayer‑Rokitansky‑Kuster‑Hauser (MRKH) syndrome — a rare condition in which the uterus is absent or underdeveloped — underwent the landmark transplant surgery in 2024. After recovery, she received fertility treatment at The Lister Fertility Clinic in London, leading to her pregnancy and subsequent delivery.
Transplants of wombs from deceased donors are extremely rare, with only a handful of cases reported globally, and Hugo’s birth marks a first in the UK. Bell and her partner, Steve Powell, both in their 30s and living in southern England, described the experience as “simply a miracle,” with Bell expressing profound gratitude to the donor and her family for their generosity.
The procedure was carried out by a medical team that included consultant surgeons Isabel Quiroga and Professor Richard Smith, the clinical lead of Womb Transplant UK. The donor’s consent to womb donation was obtained separately from regular organ donation consent, reflecting the specialised nature of the transplant process. Five other organs from the same donor were transplanted into four recipients, saving additional lives.
The programme has now facilitated several womb transplants in the UK, including both deceased and living donors, and at least one other birth from a transplanted uterus has occurred previously with a living donor. Hugo’s birth is expected to provide hope and renewed interest in womb transplant research and its potential for enabling childbirth in individuals without a functioning uterus.

























































































