The First Womb Transplant in the UK
An Epic Journey to Motherhood
J Richard Smith
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Benjamin Jones
The Lister Hospital, UK, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK
Key Features
Isabel Quiroga-Giraldez
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK
• Unparalleled insight into the long road leading to the first womb transplant in the UK that took place in August 2024
• Discussion of spin-off techniques and surgeries that resulted from the team’s research
• Includes personal reflections from members of the transplant team
• Percentage of proceeds in support of Womb Transplant UK (charity)
Description
The first living donor womb transplant took place in the UK in early 2023 at the Oxford Transplant Centre, garnering attention from around the world and offering a life-changing opportunity for many women. This milestone was more than 25 years in the making. In this compelling and accessible book, the surgeons behind the procedure offer extraordinary insight into the long and winding road they have walked — through scientific breakthroughs (as well as dead ends), innovative spin-off surgeries and techniques, and surmounting opposition and resistance from many quarters — to culminate in successful and sustainable living and deceased donor programmes and the first baby in the UK born to a mother with a transplanted uterus.
The authors address the complex issues of ethics, legality, and eligibility criteria surrounding the transplant and its development and, looking ahead, they explore the future opportunities for uterine transplantation. With personal reflections from many different members the transplant team, this book celebrates the commitment, innovation and collaboration of the people behind cutting-edge science.
A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to Womb Transplant UK, the charity responsible for funding the transplants to date.
Author
Professor J Richard Smith trained as a doctor in Glasgow (1977–1982) and in London, obtaining his MRCOG in 1988 and graduating with an MD from the University of Glasgow on cervical cancer, immunity and infection in 1992. Since 2005, he has been based at the West London Gynaecological Cancer Centre, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital, Imperial College London. He is the founder and chair of Womb Transplant UK (charity number 1138559) and leader of the research team — a project he has been involved with for the past 25 years.
Miss Isabel Quiroga-Giraldez graduated from Complutense University in Madrid, Spain in 1993 with an MSc in Humanitarian Medicine. She moved to Oxford in 1999, graduating with a DPhil (Oxon) in 2004. She has been a key member of the Womb Transplant UK team since 2014, involved with all aspects of both uterine and endometrial transplantation work.
Mr Benjamin Jones graduated from the University of Leeds in 2009. His BSc (Hons) was in sports science in relation to medicine. He obtained his MRCOG in 2015 and graduated with a PhD from Imperial College in 2021. He is trained in gynaecological surgery and infertility. He is a consultant gynaecologist and fertility specialist at the Lister Hospital, London.
April 2025
£55| HARDCOVER 978-1-80061-770-4
£25 | SOFTCOVER 978-1-80061-776-6
Imprint: World Scientific Europe
Extent: 200pp
Type: Popular book
Main Subject: Medicine
Sub-Subjects: Obstretics & Gynaecology | General Medicine | Medical Law & Medical Ethics
Keywords: Obstetrics; Gynaecology; Womb; Womb Transplant; Uterine Transplant; Transplant Surgery; Absolute Uterine Factor Infertility; Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome; MRKH; Cervical Cancer; Asherman’s Syndrome; Abdominal Radical Trachelectomy; Fertility Sparing Surgery; Deceased Donor Donation; Live Donor Donation; Medical Ethics; Transplantation; Hysterectomy; Uterine Cancer; Medical Breakthrough; Surgical Breakthrough
Readership: This book is written for a popular audience with an interest in the fascinating development of womb transplant surgery and the story behind it, as well as medicine and medical breakthroughs more generally. It will also be of interest to the medical profession and those involved in medical ethics more broadly.
• Introduction
• Transplant History:
◊ Transplants: A History
◊ Attitudes Towards Womb Transplants
• Early Days of Fertility Preservation and Restoration:
◊ Early Explorations
◊ Spin-Off Projects
• Progress and Surgery:
◊ Endometrial Transplantation
◊ Tissue Engineering
◊ Uterine Transplantation Breakthroughs
◊ Womb Transplant UK: Deceased Donor Programme Late 2022
◊ Womb Transplant UK: Living Donor Programme Early 2023
◊ Personal Reflections from the Team
• Future Research and Considerations:
◊ Legal and Ethical Considerations
◊ A Look to the Future
◊ Conclusions
• Epilogue