So I have always had painful periods and three years ago started trying to get pregnant. we had no trouble and got pregnant the first month we tried, then sadly miscarried after six weeks. a few months later, the same thing happened and both times the doctors said the baby was up in the top left hand corner lf my uterus. The second time wasn’t as upsetting: sometjing about the baby not having a heartbeat yet made it easier for me this time. My third pregnancy produced the sleeping 3 month old on my chest right now 💕.
We went to have a whole range of tests after that second miscariage and I was diagnosed with a bicornuate uterus. Early in this third pregnancy I had scans at 5 weeks due to some cramping and thy said baby was in a suboptimal position; again in that top left hand side. I was very anxious I would lose the pregnancy and they said if the embryo didn’t move down into the cavity more that I would have to abort it. These were really challenging times. After 3 weeks and weekly scans, baby had moved down and was growing normally. I kind lf held my breath til 12 weeks and after that I was fine. When it came time to deliver I went into spontaneous labour even though baby hadn’t dropped yet. The fjrst 12 hours was fine but the next 12 (after a stretch and sweep) was simply awful; it felt like there was this weird pressure pushing down through my bum and vagina. Contraction pain peaks were 30 seconds and the contractions went for 1.5 mins. I described it to my partner to be like hell and torture! Then we got to the hospital and labour starting becoming a lot easier. After 12 more hours baby’s heart rate was dropping and not returning back quickly and so I decided to have a caesar where we found out that ”tah-dah”! I have a double uterus! After my (amazing) baby boy had come out I actually overheard the surgeons discussing a double uterus and I thought they were chatting about someone else. The surgeon came up to me in recovery and told me that I have two uteruses and two cervixes. Massive surprise in a day full of surprises. Now I am waiting to hear from the hospital about when I can have an MRI, I am so curious to see the geography of it all. It makes me sad to think of the babies I lost and that my anatomy might have played a role. I’m angry I wasn’t diagnosed properly. I am amazed at my body. I am nervous to try for another baby. And I’m curious to know if anyone out there had similar exoeriences to me? Also, how do you get a proper pap smear?!
Wow! Soo happy you have a healthy baby! I cannot believe no one saw both cervixes or uteri until after you gave birth!
Same with me [@Jessica86]
This is insane that no one knew you had bicornate until actually delivering! Could they not see it during ultrasounds? I have two completely separate uteri s d two cervices (one vigina) and my Drs can easily see both uteri.
I do not think it makes any real difference if you have uterus didelphys or uterus bicornis! I've heard from many people in other forums that have gotten different names for their shape of uterus from different doctors and it was never possible to get a clear answer - neither from ultrasoundscan, MRI or a operation (operation would normally be one of the best ways to see how much it is divided, but of course when one half of the uterus has just carried a child then it can give a distorted picture)(things are also kind of crammed down there in the pelvis so it's not easy to destinguish one tissue from the other in scans ;-)). In everyday speech doubble uterus can refer to both didelphys and bicornuate. Nature is not black and white and in reality there is no clear line where one anomaly ends and another begins. It all has to do how deep the divide between the uteri-halves are and if they are more or less connected in the uteral cavity and/or cervix (search for mullerian anomalies and you can see drawings from all the different variants (note however that you might also be in between two types). Most importantly, don't worry being "misdiagnosed", as it doesn't really make any difference if you have bicornis or didelphys during pregnancy. Check-ups are the same and the doctors wouldn't have treated you differently.
Hey! I would get another opinion. Your delivering doctor saw your 2 uteruses live and in person.... right? So how can another doctor challenge that diagnosis from a simple scan. I've had many many ultrasounds before and unless it an internal ultrasound my 2 cervixes can not be found
Hey! I would get another opinion. Your delivering doctor saw your 2 uteruses live and in person.... right? So how can another doctor challenge that diagnosis from a simple scan. I've had many many ultrasounds before and unless it an internal ultrasound my 2 cervixes can not be found.
Before my scheduled csection, my ob/gyn asked me if she could take pics of my uteruses during the entire procedure and use them to submit to a medical journal and I agreed as long as she stuck a copy in my file for my future doctors.
Do you have a double vagina?
Hi Colleen. An interesting turn of events for me here, I went to an obstetrician recently after my GP saying “there’s nothing more to investigate, seeing a didelphus in surgery is the gold standard for diagnosis” to asking for more tests, I wanted to see it myself in a scan or something for the Pap smears and to just know. So I went to this obstetrician who was young but meant to be brilliant (here in Melbourne) and he straight away suspected it was misdiagnosed and sent me for a scan with the top scanner in a Melbourne (who had initially diagnosed me with bicornuate). He also did a Pap smear and could only find one cervix. So I had the scan and the scanner said yes, bicornuate, she was sure. And also had a scan in my kidneys and there were two. So he said yes, it’s bicornuate not didelphus after all. Such a weird piece of news to get. Part of me can’t fully believe it. Anyway, he said he thought for my next birth I could have a vmagical delivery. Haven’t decided with my partner to go again yet, but if we do I think I will try again for a vagina delivery. Oh boy, what a twisty turny set of events.
Hi Milla! My situation is kinda similar to your's. After my first miscarriage the doctors incorrectly diagnosed me with a bicornuate uterus. It wasn't until 5ish years later that I discovered the term "uterus didelphys" and brought it up to my gynecologist. After a quick ultrasound, the doctor confirmed that I did in fact have 2 uteruses, 2 cervixes, and 2 vaginas.
When I get a pap smear I just get two done.... one for the left and one for the right.
Now that my son is 2 we've decided to start trying for a second baby. I'm hoping that now that I've already had a child that things will go smoothly and no more miscarriages will occur.