Women with two wombs is pregnant with one child in each
A Bangladeshi woman finds out that she is carrying (possibly) identical twins in two separate wombs.
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This young mom from Essex in England was diagnosed with uterus didelphys at her 12-week pregnancy scan. It sounds a lot more worrying than it actually is. In fact, it’s a kind of miracle because it means she has two wombs. Her pregnancy scan also revealed another incredible discovery: she’s pregnant with twins – carrying one in each womb.
But, that’s not even the best part of this story – the twins could be identical! How crazy is that, right?
Says Prof Asma Khalil, an expert in obstetrics at St George’s hospital in London: “It’s possible that Kelly is carrying identical twins, each developing in a separate womb. It can happen. The egg and sperm, at a very early stage, split into two, so it depends which egg attaches to which uterus.”
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Kelly told The Sun that her doctors said her condition is very rare – a one in 50 million chance.
Two wombs, two births
That wasn’t the only surprising news, Kelly received, however. She was also told that she has two cervixes, which means she might have two separate labours. The plan is to have both babies via C-section.
Bangladesh woman with two wombs has twins one month after first birth
Kelly isn’t the only mom to have revealed this rare condition. Arifa Sultana gave birth to her baby in Bangladesh in February last year, only to be rushed back to hospital 26 days later after experiencing pain in her stomach.
Imagine her shock and disbelief when doctors found that she was still pregnant – with twins – in a second uterus. The babies were born via C-section and were discharged with no complications.
Arifa and her husband lived in a rural area in Bangladesh and were very poor – she’d never had an ultrasound before, which is why no one picked up that she was in fact pregnant with three babies.
What exactly is uterus didelphys and how common is it?
It’s a condition where a woman develops a double uterus instead of one. “In a female foetus, the uterus starts out as two small tubes. As the foetus develops, the tubes normally join to create one larger, hollow organ — the uterus,” explains Mayo Clinic.
How is it diagnosed?
A double uterus often has no symptoms, which means the condition may only be discovered when you go for an ultrasound or a regular pelvic exam.
Is it dangerous?
According to Mayo Clinic, many women with a double uterus have normal sex lives, pregnancies and deliveries. However, sometimes a double uterus and other abnormalities of uterine development are associated with infertility, miscarriage, premature birth and kidney abnormalities.
How would I know if I have a double uterus?
As mentioned above, you would only really know if you have a double uterus if you go for pelvic exam or an ultrasound.
Xanet is an award-winning journalist and Living and Loving’s digital editor. She has won numerous awards for her health and wellness articles and was a finalist for the Discovery Journalist of the Year in 2009 and again in 2011 for the Discovery Best Health Consumer Reporting and Feature Writing category. She is responsible for our online presence across social media channels and makes sure our moms have fresh and interesting articles to read every day. Learn more about Xanet Scheepers.
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