In a UK medical first, a woman who received a womb from her sister has given birth to a healthy baby girl.
Grace Davidson, 36, was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a rare condition that left her without a functioning uterus. In 2023, she underwent a successful womb transplant, donated by her sister Amy Purdie, in a groundbreaking 17-hour operation at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.
Just over a year later, Grace gave birth by caesarean section to a baby girl, named Amy Isabel, on 27 February at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London.
The name honours both the baby’s aunt and organ donor, Amy, and transplant surgeon Isabel Quiroga, who led the medical team.
“It was just hard to believe she was real,” Grace said, recalling the first time she held her daughter. “It was really wonderful.”
Photo: FILE
Grace and her husband, Angus Davidson, 37, had previously undergone fertility treatment to store embryos before the transplant. Grace became pregnant on her first IVF attempt.
The transplant and birth were part of a clinical trial led by Womb Transplant UK. The charity has approval for 15 transplants – five from living donors and ten from deceased donors. All medical staff involved volunteered their time, and the charity covered NHS-related costs.
Professor Richard Smith, who leads the trial, said the birth marks the culmination of 25 years of research. “I feel great joy, unbelievable – it’s really something,” he said.
Three more womb transplants using deceased donors have taken place in the UK since Grace’s operation. Surgeons hope this progress will eventually lead to wider access for women unable to carry children due to absent or non-functioning wombs.
Roughly 15,000 women of childbearing age in the UK are estimated to be affected, with around 5,000 born without a womb.
Amy Purdie, the donor, said she has no regrets about the surgery. “It’s a huge act of sisterly love,” Grace added, noting how the experience deepened their bond.
Grace is currently on immunosuppressants to prevent her body from rejecting the donated uterus. She hopes to have one more child before undergoing a hysterectomy to end the need for the drugs.
Surgeons say risks from the medication will return to normal levels once the womb is removed.
Globally, more than 135 womb transplants have been performed, leading to at least 65 births. The first successful case occurred in Sweden in 2014.
Davidson's birth story is now seen as a beacon of hope for women facing similar reproductive challenges in the UK and beyond.
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