UK’s first womb transplant has given us hope, says trans woman

A trans woman says UK’s first womb transplant has “given the trans community hope” – and said she would “100% consider” the surgery.

Jocelyn Claire Reed, 23, was assigned male at birth but started hormone replacement therapy to transition to female in October 2021.  The social media ‘influencer’ – who takes testosterone blockers and oestrogen – said this week’s news brought “hope” for herself and other trans women.

This week the news emerged surgeons at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford implanted a womb in a 34-year-old woman – which had been donated by her older sister.  The £25,000 operation was funded by the charity Womb Transplant UK – and it was a full success with the womb working perfectly.

Jocelyn, from Crosby, Liverpool, said: “It’s not possible for trans women yet, but it’s a start.  As long as it works for biological women, there’s no saying how far modern medicine can go.

“It’s a long way off for trans women yet but the fact it’s possible at all speaks volumes!  I would 100% consider it being a trans woman – the fact it could one day be a possibility is amazing.”

While at school Jocelyn came out as gay and dated boys – before starting to wear makeup and dress in women’s clothes aged 18.  Two years on, in November 2020, she hit a “turning point” after struggling with her mental health in lockdown – and saw a doctor to begin hormone therapy.

Jocelyn says she has grown in confidence since transitioning and plans to have breast augmentation and other gender-affirming surgery in the future. While she said that’ll be the final step for her, she said she has accepted who she is – and is “confident and happy”.

But she said not having a female reproductive system was something “you push to the back of your mind” as a trans woman – until this week.  Jocelyn said: “You can’t get your hopes up too much but it’s definitely given us some hope.  For a lot of trans women, the thought of carrying their own child is a dream.

“Now it could be possible in years to come.  I would 100% consider it. Being a trans woman I’ve always dreamed of being able to carry my own children.

“But the fact it could be a possibility is amazing.  In the last few decades, the advances they have made in medicine has been amazing.

“Not long ago, AIDS was a death sentence. Now people live long and healthy lives with it and you would never know.

“Now womb transplants could one day be a possibility. It opens so many doors for people.

“It would help a lot of people in terms of body dysmorphia, little things like that make people not feel like a woman. So this procedure could do wonders for them.”