A British lesbian couple has made medical history by becoming the first parents in the world to share the physical experience of carrying the same baby. Jasmine Francis-Smith (28), a dental nurse, and her wife Donna (30), who serves in the Army, welcomed their son Otis on 30 September in Colchester, Essex.
The pioneering procedure, known as shared motherhood, was performed at the London Women’s Clinic using a Swiss-developed technique called AneVivo. Unlike traditional IVF, where fertilisation occurs entirely in a laboratory, AneVivo allows part of the process to happen naturally inside a woman’s body.
In this case, Donna’s egg was placed inside a tiny capsule and inserted into her uterus, where it remained for 18 hours, allowing fertilisation and early development to occur within her womb. The embryo was then transferred to Jasmine, who carried the pregnancy to term and gave birth to Otis.
More than 100 babies have previously been born to same-sex couples through conventional shared motherhood where one woman provides the egg and the other carries the pregnancy but this is the first time both mothers have physically carried the same embryo.
The couple said the experience brought them emotionally closer and made them feel equally involved in their son’s life from the very beginning. Jasmine described their successful first IVF attempt as “incredible,” while Donna said sharing both the incubation and pregnancy stages created a “special bond” with their baby.
Medical experts have hailed the breakthrough as a significant step forward for same-sex couples. Dr. Kamal Ahuja, medical director at the London Women’s Clinic, called it “exciting,” saying the method offers lesbian couples the chance to play an active role together in the creation and development of their child.
The Francis-Smiths hope their story inspires other couples to explore new possibilities in fertility treatments, while celebrating the fact that Otis is living proof of how love and science can work hand in hand.
