Historic birth offers new hope for women with uterine infertility
In a landmark moment for British medicine, the UK has welcomed its first baby born from a womb transplant. Baby Amy Isabel Davidson’s arrival is the culmination of 25 years of pioneering research, marking a breakthrough in reproductive medicine.
The birth, which once seemed like science fiction, is a testament to medical innovation and the power of selfless love. Amy’s mother, 36-year-old Grace Davidson, received a life-changing gift—her womb—from her own sister, 42-year-old Amy Purdie. The transplant, conducted in 2023, was the first successful womb transplant in the UK.
Amy was born via planned Caesarean section on February 27 at London’s Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospital, weighing 4.5 lbs (around 2 kg).
For Grace and her husband Angus, 37, their daughter’s birth is nothing short of a miracle. “It was just hard to believe she was real. I knew she was ours, but it’s just hard to believe,” Grace shared.
A life-changing transplant
Grace was born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a rare condition affecting one in 5,000 women, which results in an underdeveloped or absent uterus. Diagnosed at 19, she feared she would never be able to carry a child—until medical science offered her a second chance.
Ahead of the transplant, doctors created and froze seven embryos through IVF. Several months after the surgery, one embryo was successfully transferred, leading to the long-awaited birth of baby Amy.
Amy’s name honors both her aunt, whose extraordinary generosity made the birth possible, and Isabel Quiroga, the consultant surgeon who led the transplant team.
Decades of research pave the way
The groundbreaking procedure was led by Professor Richard Smith, who has spent more than 25 years researching womb transplantation.
“So far, we’ve done one living donor transplant, which resulted in baby Amy, and we’ve done three deceased donor transplants. Those patients are all well, healthy, and their wombs are functioning normally,” Professor Smith explained.
“We certainly hope that, in the future, they will go on to have babies. At the end of the day, the purpose is not just to transplant the uterus—the purpose is to have a baby. And finally, with our living donor case, we have proof of purpose.”
A new frontier in fertility treatment
Amy’s birth signals a new era of possibilities for thousands of women struggling with uterine infertility. As research continues, womb transplants could soon become a widely accessible fertility treatment, offering renewed hope to families across the world.