MUM Grace Bell has become the first British woman to give birth after a womb transplant from a deceased donor.
Grace was diagnosed at 16 with the rare genetic condition Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome, which prevents womb development and causes infertility.
But in 2024, the IT boss received a donor womb in a seven-hour operation at the Oxford Transplant Centre.
Grace, who is in her 30s, became pregnant last year with fertility treatment and had baby Hugo by caesarean section in December.
She said: “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.
“Since I was 16, I never thought this would be possible.
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“I can’t thank my donor and her family enough.”
Her partner Steve Powell added: “Hugo is nothing short of a miracle.”
Mayer Rokitansky Küster Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a congenital (born with) abnormality, characterised by the absence or underdevelopment of the vagina, cervix and the womb, which affects one in every 5,000 women.
People with the condition usually discover that they have it during puberty, as although they develop breasts and pubic hair, they do not start having periods.
This is because the ovaries produce the female hormones that make normal development occur, but the absence of the vagina and uterus mean that there is no bleed.
For the majority of women with MRKH, surgeons are able to create a vagina by stretching the small amount of vaginal tissue already present.
This is usually done by using specially designed smooth cylinder-shaped objects called vaginal dilators.
Following this, women with MRKH will be able to have sex.
Although women with this condition are usually unable to carry a pregnancy, they may be able to have children through assisted reproduction.
Individuals with MRKH syndrome may also have abnormalities in other parts of the body.
The kidneys may be abnormally formed or positioned, or one kidney may fail to develop (unilateral renal agenesis).
Affected individuals commonly develop skeletal abnormalities, particularly of the spinal bones (vertebrae).
Females with MRKH syndrome may also have hearing loss or heart defects.
For more information, visit the MRKH support group.