Woman discovers she has two uteruses 11 years after giving birth

British Jade Williams, who lives in Basigstoke, England, discovered she had a rare and congenital condition known as double uterus or uterus didelphys eleven years after having her first daughter. With strong cramps and intense menstrual flow, the manager of a McDonalds unit went to a hospital to investigate the problem, but no doctor was able to explain or solve the case. The initial suspicion was the return of cancer discovered during pregnancy, which was ruled out when the 31-year-old went to another hospital and underwent an exam capable of detecting the presence of a second uterus.

Using more than 30 pads per cycle, she said in an interview with the press that the intense bleeding began after the birth of her daughter, which prevented her from leaving the house due to leaks that did not stop even with the use of underwear, pants and protectors.

According to an interview with Williams with the news agency SWNS, doctors said she had a one in a million chance of having the condition. Also according to professionals, it is normal for women with a double uterus to have premature births and complications during pregnancy. “All my babies were born premature, so that makes sense.”revealed the British woman.

Double uterus or didelphys uterus

Mayo Clinic, an American non-profit organization, states that uterus didelphys is a uterine malformation that develops in the first weeks of intrauterine life of the fetus when it defines the biological sex, in these cases, female. During this period, the uterus, instead of forming a cavity, forms two small cavities that merge until they form a reproductive organ with only two uterine cervixes, which can be of equal or different sizes (one larger than the other) and each one is connected to a tube and an ovary.

Studies explain that these cavities do not completely unite as they should and develop as two in the upper part of the vagina, which is considered a failure in embryonic development. Richard Davis, a doctor specializing in high-risk pregnancies, explains that 0.3% of women are born this way.

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_{Uterine didelphys is a rare condition (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed)}

Anomalies

There are other types of anomalies, such as: unicornuate uterus, bicornuate uterus and septate uterus, which interfere with uterine functions and can affect the normal functioning of the uterus and lead to problems. Early diagnosis is important to alleviate female health symptoms and reduce pregnancy risks. The small space of the hemiuterus does not prevent conception, but it can cause miscarriages, fetal growth restriction, pregnancy losses in the second trimester and premature birth.

The signs and symptoms of uterine malformations vary according to the type of anomaly. In the case of uterus didelphys, it may have no symptomatic manifestations for some women, while in others it may cause menstruation with irregular frequency or scanty flow (oligomenorrhea); intense menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea); dysfunctional uterine bleeding; pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia). The signs are also part of the symptoms of several gynecological diseases and can be confused with other conditions.

During pregnancy, it is possible to raise the suspicion of uterus didelphys due to bleeding that may be persistent in the non-pregnant cavity. In some cases, the woman may have superfetation, since the pregnancy begins in the second uterus and then the first already has a developing pregnancy.

Surgery is indicated in most cases, with the aim of correcting the uterine structure, preserving the woman's fertility and minimizing discomfort. Surgeries are reserved in cases of frequent pregnancy losses. Asymptomatic patients or those with infertility factors cannot undergo surgical interventions without high need.

Women with a didelphys uterus and difficulty getting pregnant can try IVF treatment (fertilization in vitro), after medical evaluations to analyze the level of organ impairment. In other, more serious cases, with the risk of constant loss, one possibility is a replacement uterus.

Featured Photo: pregnant woman (Reproduction: Getty Images Embed)