Womb transplants could become available on the NHS after the first child in the UK was born following the 'breakthrough' procedure, Wes Streeting reveals
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Womb transplants could become available on the NHS after the first child in the UK was born following the ‘breakthrough’ procedure, Wes Streeting said.
Just four womb transplants have been conducted in the UK so far but each was fully funded by the charity Womb Transplant UK.
Now the health secretary has accepted future transplants could be offered on the NHS as he likened the benefits to IVF for childless families.
Grace Davidson, 36, from north London, gave birth to daughter Amy Isabel in February after receiving a womb from her older sister in the UK’s first womb transplant in 2023.
Mr Streeting told LBC radio: ‘I think this is really exciting. It’s a really exciting possibility for women who might otherwise not be able to conceive a child.
‘I think this is amazing medical breakthrough.’
Asked whether the procedure will ever be provided by the NHS, he told Times Radio: ‘Well, quite possibly.
‘We have fertility treatment available and there are some people in our country and some aspiring parents who are not able to conceive – and that can be a really difficult moment in people’s lives and relationships, and that’s why novel medical research – IVF, for example – has been game-changing for people who otherwise would not have been able.’
Mrs Davidson, an NHS dietitian, and her husband Angus, 37, who works in finance, are over the moon with their new arrival.
She said she felt ‘shock’ when she first held her daughter, adding: ‘We have been given the greatest gift we could ever have asked for.
'Our family are just so happy for us. It sort of feels like there’s a completeness now where there maybe wasn’t before.’
Experts have hailed the news as a ‘huge milestone’ and a ‘miracle’ for the family.
Stuart Lavery, consultant in reproductive medicine at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), said: ‘This amazing event represents both a personal miracle for the couple involved but also a vindication for the team of surgeons and scientists who have for so many years worked tirelessly to get to this place.
‘Like so many milestones in UK reproductive medicine, it takes a combination of a courageous patient and a committed and supportive medical team to push the scientific boundaries in the hope of helping more couples have the families they desire.’
Dr Melanie Davies, professor of reproductive medicine and consultant gynaecologist at University College London Hospitals, said the birth of Amy Isabel gives hope to other women who have been born without a womb and may also help young women who have needed a hysterectomy.
‘The only alternative for these women is surrogacy, which is not easy to access and not always acceptable,’ she said.
Kate Brintworth, England’s chief midwifery officer, said: ‘I am so delighted that Grace, Angus and their whole family have been able to welcome the miracle of Amy to the world.
‘This is a momentous moment in NHS history, and an example of how we are constantly innovating and embracing the latest medical advancements so patients can benefit from groundbreaking care.
‘Led by specialist teams from across the NHS, we should all be very proud of the health service’s role in this UK first and the hope it will bring to so many women.’
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