English Woman Who Received Uterus Transplant from Sister Gives Birth to Healthy Daughter... "I Want a Second Child"

Received a Uterus Transplant from Her Sister with Children
Gave Birth to a Healthy Daughter Two Years After the Transplant

A woman in her 30s who underwent the first uterus transplant surgery in the UK gave birth to a daughter two years after the surgery. On the 7th (local time), British daily newspapers The Guardian and The Times reported that 36-year-old Grace Davidson, who received a uterus donated by her 42-year-old sister, gave birth to a healthy daughter weighing 2.04 kg by cesarean section at Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospital in London on February 27.

Grace Davidson (front row), who gave birth to a daughter with a uterus transplanted from her sister, and the medical staff who assisted with the delivery are taking a commemorative photo immediately after the birth. Womb Transplant UK

Davidson had Mayer-Rokitansky-K?ster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, which made it impossible for her to have children. MRKH syndrome is a congenital condition where the uterus is absent or underdeveloped. This syndrome occurs in approximately one in every 5,000 women. Since ovarian function operates normally and there are no hormonal issues, theoretically, pregnancy and childbirth are possible if a uterus is transplanted. However, the transplanted uterus can allow for two childbirths within five years, after which it must be removed.

With support from the charity 'Womb Transplant UK,' which assists infertile women, Davidson received a uterus transplant from her sister Amy, who already had two children, in the UK in February 2023. She then successfully became pregnant through in vitro fertilization by implanting an embryo. Davidson said, "The moment I saw my daughter, it was unbelievably amazing, and I felt an indescribable joy," adding, "We received the greatest gift we hoped for." Davidson and her husband have stated that they plan to have a second child after consulting with medical staff.

The surgical team that transplanted the uterus to Grace has performed three additional uterus transplant surgeries since then. As part of a clinical trial, they plan to perform a total of 15 uterus transplants. They have received approval from UK health authorities to transplant five uteri from living donors and ten from deceased donors. The UK medical community has described Davidson's childbirth as a "medical milestone that brings hope to 15,000 British women who cannot have children due to uterine problems." Experts anticipate that up to 20 to 30 uterus transplant surgeries could be performed annually in the UK in the future.

Previously, the first baby born worldwide through a uterus transplant was a boy born in Sweden in 2014. Since then, 135 uterus transplants have been performed in 12 countries including the United States, China, France, Germany, India, and T?rkiye, resulting in a total of 65 babies born to date. Among these cases, last year in Australia, a woman who received her mother's uterus gave birth to a son, which attracted significant attention. In South Korea, Samsung Seoul Hospital performed the first uterus transplant surgery in 2023, and the woman who received the transplant is currently preparing for pregnancy.