A woman suffering from fertility problems due to an ovarian defect successfully gave birth using an egg from an anonymous donor in the first such case using in vitro fertilization in Japan, a nonprofit organization supporting the treatment said Wednesday.

Although there have been earlier cases of children conceived using a husband's sperm and eggs donated by sisters or friends, this is the only known case in the country involving eggs from an anonymous female donor with no ties to the recipient, according to the Kobe-based NPO Oocyte Donation Network (OD-NET).

Both the mother, who is in her early 40s, and the baby girl born in January have been doing well and are free of health problems, the group said.