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One woman from Basingstoke in Hampshire shared her reaction when she learned about her rare congenital condition. She admitted that she was surprised because she wasn't aware of it.
Hampshire Woman Shares About Rare Condition
According to Shannon Webster, she had heavy periods since she got her first when she was 14. However, she was unaware of her unusual anatomy.
Recounting her experience when she had a period, Webster said she couldn't use tampons because it was painful. Due to her heavy flow, she would use training pads for dogs, but even if she used three, she would wake up "covered in the morning." She also tried adult pull-ups.
Webster welcomed her first baby in 2014. However, she suffered a miscarriage two years later, which led her to a routine test that revealed she had two uteruses.
In 2016, the sonographer told her that she was "different." She was initially confused about what the sonographer said, and Webster had the shock of her life when she heard that she had two wombs because it was the first time she learned about her condition.
A further MRI scan confirmed she had uterus didelphys. When she welcomed her son in August 2017 via C-section, the doctors reportedly showed her her anatomy. She likened it to an experience in a museum.
In a further twist, scans during her subsequent pregnancy with her youngest child showed that, unlike her first child, who was carried in her left womb, she was holding him in her right.
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What Is Uterus Didelphys?
Uterus didelphys is an uncommon disorder in which an individual develops two uteruses. Another name for it is a double uterus. One congenital anomaly that you are born with is a double uterus. Compared to a normal uterus, your two uterine cavities are smaller. Every uterus has an ovary and fallopian tube of its own.
An initial pair of ducts form a uterus. These ducts unite to form the uterus during the development of the fetus. Your uterus resembles an upside-down pear and is a single, hollow organ. The uterine didelphys causes the two channels to diverge. Instead, every duct becomes its uterus, meaning you have two. Some individuals who have two uteruses may also have two vaginal canals and cervixes.
Those with uterine didelphys have banana-shaped uteruses rather than pear-shaped ones.
The condition develops when two ducts (the Mullerian ducts) fail to join correctly during development. Normally, these tubes combine to form a single uterus.
The ducts split apart and became separate uteri for those with two uteruses. Some individuals will also have two cervixes and vaginas. The reason why some people's Mullerian ducts fail to merge is a mystery to medical professionals.
Just 0.3% of people have uterine dysgenesis, which makes it an uncommon condition. It is among the rarest uterine anomalies.
Due to the lack of symptoms, the majority of persons with uterine didelphys are unaware that they have it. Instead, it is found via a standard pelvic exam or while looking into cases of severe menstrual pain or recurrent miscarriages.
Here are the symptoms of uterine didelphys:
- Pain during sex.
- Painful cramping before and during your period.
- Heavy bleeding during your period.
- Leaking blood when using a tampon (tampon is only in one vaginal canal and not the other).
- Frequent miscarriages.
- Preterm labor.
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