Chennai, February 25: A baby boy named Hugo has become the first child in the United Kingdom to be born to a mother who received a womb transplant from a deceased donor, marking a major breakthrough in reproductive medicine.

Hugo Powell was delivered at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London, weighing 3.09kg. His mother, Grace Bell, underwent a uterus transplant in 2024 after being born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, a rare condition that results in an underdeveloped or absent womb.

Grace, an IT programme manager, had been told as a teenager that she would never be able to carry a child. Describing Hugo’s birth as a miracle, she said it fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a mother. US: Baby Born at 21 Weeks Sets Guinness World Record As ‘Most Premature Survivor’.

UK’s First Baby Born From Deceased Donor Womb Transplant Marks Medical Milestone

The complex transplant was carried out under the guidance of Richard Smith, clinical lead at Womb Transplant UK and a consultant at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The baby’s middle name, Richard, honours the surgeon who helped lead the pioneering effort. Baby Born in Air: Wizz Air Flight Sees 'Miracle' As Doctor Delivers Baby Girl on Journey From Jordan to UK.

This is the first successful birth in the UK using a womb from a deceased donor. Globally, around 25 to 30 babies have been born following deceased donor womb transplants, though most procedures worldwide involve living donors.

Doctors plan to remove the transplanted womb once the couple completes their family to prevent long-term use of immunosuppressant drugs. The case highlights both the life-changing impact of organ donation and the evolving possibilities of fertility treatment in the UK.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 25, 2026 07:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).