Read this extraordinary and heart-warming story of the ground breaking research giving hope to women who, until now, would never have been able to bear their own child.
The First Womb Transplant in the UK – an Epic Journey to Motherhood
The extraordinary story of the break-throughs, the heart ache and opposition, and finally, the joy at the birth of the first ‘post-transplant’ baby in the UK
The Charity, Womb Transplant UK, announces the publication of the full story of the incredible journey over a quarter of a century of research aimed at helping women without a viable womb to be able to carry and give birth, to their own baby.
Team Leaders, surgeons Professor Richard Smith, Isabel Quiroga and Ben Jones, shed new light on the tragedy of infertility in the UK and how the generosity of thousands of people making donations, funded the research that has led to birth of Amy Isabel Davidson in February 2025.
The surgeon’s new book, ‘The First Womb Transplant in the UK – An Epic Journey to Motherhood’, is published by World Scientific and is available in Hardback and paperback.
Working in collaboration with other surgeons and physicians around the world, the book reveals how the team’s discovery of new life saving and fertility sparing procedures, that have saved countless lives, led to techniques that enabled wombs to be given to women without a viable uterus, giving them possibility of having their own baby.
The UK’s team shine a light on the sadness and heartbreak of absolute uterine infertility; (being born without a viable womb) and including the increasing number of women who lose their uterus through cancer and other illnesses.
Struggling to raise the money to fund the research – no big grants were available – the teamed also faced opposition and obfuscation and then delays caused by Covid, before the first operation in 2023 was given the go ahead. And all the time more and more women were coming forward as news of well-funded successes abroad continued to grow.
Gynaecological Surgeon, Professor Richard Smith, began researching uterine transplantation over 25 years ago after treating many women who were unable to bear their own child. “No-one could fail to be moved by the sadness and grief these poor women suffer. Infertility, is not given enough priority in medicine but it is an increasing problem in Western society.”
“It has been an epic journey to reach this point and sometimes the setbacks have been very difficult but our team has always been motivated by the bravery and commitment of our patients and we hope that uterine transplantation will become a recognised procedure in this country in the not too distant future. In the meantime we need to raise the money to be able to complete our current research programme. We have much work still ahead of us!”
This book shares the remarkable story of Grace Davidson, a patient from North London with MRKH, (being born without a viable womb) whose elder sister Amy, having finished her own family, selflessly donated her womb to Grace. Two anxious years later, Baby Amy Isabel (named after her aunt and Isabel Quiroga, transplant surgeon) was born fit and well in February, 2025.
But the book is not the end of this story for as a great Englishman once said: “…it is the end of the beginning!” There are many others hoping to have their own family and the Womb Transplant UK team has two programmes of transplants to complete in order to assess the longer term viability of the procedure.
Sales of this compelling and heart-warming new book are now helping to raise money to fund the continuing research. Hardback and paperback editions are on sale (or can be ordered) at all good bookshops or through a number of popular websites.
For Further Information please contact:
Neil Huband 07808 298989 or at NeilHuband@btinternet.com
Note to Editors:
Professor J Richard Smith is a Consultant Gynaecological Surgeon and Professor of Practice at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare HNS Trust in London. He is also Honorary Consultant in Transplantation Surgery at The Churchill Hospital Oxford, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Smith is Founder and Chairman of the Charity, Womb Transplant UK
Miss Isabel Quiroga-Giraldez is a Consultant in Transplantation and Endocrine Surgery at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She is also Honorary Consultant Gynaecological Surgeon at Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Mr Benjamin Jones is a Consultant Gynaecologist and Fertility specialist at The Lister Fertility Clinic, the Lister Hospital in London. He is also Honorary Consultant in Transplantation Surgery at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Consultant in Gynaecology at Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
For Further Information please contact:
Neil Huband 07808 298989 or at NeilHuband@btinternet.Com