A woman has made history the first person in the UK to have a baby with a transplanted uterus.
On Monday, April 7, scientists called Amy Isabel Davidson after 25 years of hard research, which helped her 36-year-old mom Grace ignore the chances of starting a family.
In a stunning gift of love, she received her sister Amy’s uterus in the UK’s first uterine transplant in 2023.
Now she has born baby Amy Isabel, named after her aunt and a surgeon who helped perfect the technology. This news brings hope to thousands of women who don’t have a uterus or uterus that cannot function.
NHS nutritionist Mrs. Davidson and her financial worker husband Angus, 37, landed on the moon with the new arrival. Baby Amy was born on February 27 at Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospital in London by the planned NHS caesarean section.
Mrs. Davidson said she was “shocked” when she first held her daughter, adding: “We got the greatest gift we have ever seen.” She added: “It’s hard to believe that she is real. I know she is ours, but it’s hard to believe. Our family is happy with us. It feels like there’s a complete place now, probably not before.”
Mrs. Davidson was born in Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH), a rare disease with about 1 in every 5,000 women. The patient’s uterus is underdeveloped or missing, but the function is intact and can produce eggs and feminine hormones. This means it is still possible to conceive with fertility treatment.
Mrs. Davidson was diagnosed at the age of 19 and said she saw her mother “triggered” by pushing the chair. Before receiving the donated uterus, Mrs. Davidson and her husband underwent fertility treatment, creating seven embryos that were frozen in the IVF in central London.
Mrs. Davidson underwent surgery in February 2023 and received Amy Purdie, a former elementary school teacher, from her sister Amy Purdie, 42, the mother of two girls aged 10 and six. A few months later, one of the stored embryos was transferred to Mrs. Davidson via IVF.
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Mrs. Davidson and her sister/donor Amy
Amy, who weighs 4.5 pounds, was delivered within a few weeks of a planned 90-minute caesarean section to ensure safe, hospital-based delivery. “The first few weeks were tricky because she was sleepy and we’ve been trying to keep her awake enough for feeding, but she’s in great condition.
“She has a little jaundice, she needs some mild therapy, but she’s now a stronger feeder and she’s more agile. When she wants feed, she wakes up, which is good, which is good.”
Mr Davidson said his daughter was very excited the moment she arrived. She said: “She came out and cried, and we were a little worried that she would be rushed to the prenatal ward, but she was with us every minute of her life, so we were very grateful.
“It’s been a long wait. We’ve been planning on having a family somehow since we got married and we’ve been on this journey for so long. It’s weird to have your head around you to meet with your daughter.
“The room is full of people who helped us on the journey of truly owning Amy. We’ve been suppressing emotions, maybe 10 years, and you don’t know how that will come about – as it turns out, ugly crying.
“This room is filled with love and joy, people who have a vested interest in Amy for incredible medical and scientific reasons.
“When we saw her incredible moment, we both collapsed in emotional tears – it’s hard to describe, it’s cheerful.” Mrs. Davidson said the couple always had “quiet hopes” that the uterine transplant will be successful.
She added that the couple “absolutely” wanted to have another child.
