A woman told of her surprise when she discovered that she had two uteruses and how she was carrying a baby in each one.
Shannon Webster, from Basingstoke in Hampshire, had always had unusually heavy periods since she had her first at age 14.
But I had no idea how unusual his anatomy was.
The 28-year-old welcomed her first child in 2014. But it wasn’t until after suffering a miscarriage two years later that a routine test revealed she had two uteruses.
This unusual condition, which is believed to affect approximately three in every 1,000 women worldwide, is medically known as uterus didelphys.
It also means that the medical secretary has two vaginas and cervixes, all of which are fully functional.
And in a further twist, scans during her next pregnancy with her youngest son revealed that she was carrying it in her right uterus, in contrast to her first child, who was carrying it in her left.
Shannon Webster, from Basingstoke in Hampshire, had always had unusually heavy periods since she had her first at age 14. But he had no idea how unusual his anatomy was. The 28-year-old welcomed her first child in 2014. But it wasn’t until after suffering a tragic miscarriage two years later that routine tests discovered she had two uteruses.
This unusual condition, thought to affect up to 1 in 1,000 women worldwide, is medically known as uterus didelphys. It also means that the medical secretary has two vaginas and cervixes, all of which are fully functional.
While all women born with a didelphys uterus have two uteruses, only a fraction also have two separate cervixes and vaginas. Each uterus has its own fallopian tube and ovary. Many women with this anatomical anomaly do not even know they have it because they do not suffer any symptoms. In most cases, they are only diagnosed during pregnancy when their condition is revealed through routine scans and tests.
Webster said her diagnosis made her experiences of previous menstrual problems make more sense.
‘I couldn’t use tampons. I tried to use them but they caused me a lot of pain,” she said.
‘The doctors just said she was too small. I would have dog training pads on my bed. I had three sanitary pads in my pants.
‘I woke up covered in the morning. “I even tried adult pull-ups.”
But after a miscarriage in 2016, her condition was revealed during an ultrasound: “The sonographer said, ‘Oh, you’re different, aren’t you?’ I said I’m sorry.”
“She said, ‘You have two uteruses, it’s so weird.’ I was like I have no idea what you’re talking about.
“She was surprised because she didn’t know.”
An additional MRI that same year confirmed that she had a didelphys uterus.
After welcoming her son in August 2017 via C-section, “they (the doctors) put me on display so everyone (the doctors) could see me,” Ms. Webster said. ‘It was like I was in a museum. It was so everyone could see my two uteruses.
Women with uterus didelphys are born with the condition that is triggered during their development in the womb. However, doctors still don’t know what exactly causes this to happen. It can cause infertility among some people as it increases the risk of miscarriage because the uterus is smaller and can restrict the growth of the fetus. Pictured is the scan of Mrs Webster’s second child.
But doctors were unable to investigate later that year when she discovered she was pregnant again.
After welcoming her son in August 2017 via cesarean section, “They (the doctors) showed me off so that everyone (the doctors) could see me,” he added.
‘It was like I was in a museum. It was so everyone could see my two uteruses.’
While all women born with a didelphys uterus have two uteruses, only a fraction also have two separate cervixes and vaginas.
Each uterus has its own fallopian tube and ovary.
Many women with this anatomical anomaly do not even know they have it because they do not suffer any symptoms.
In most cases, they are only diagnosed during pregnancy when their condition is revealed through routine scans and tests.
However, some signs of the condition include pain during sexual intercourse, heavy bleeding, frequent miscarriages, and premature birth.
Women with uterus didelphys are born with the condition that is triggered during their development in the womb.
However, doctors still don’t know what exactly causes this to happen.
It can cause infertility among some people as it increases the risk of miscarriage because the uterus is smaller and can restrict the growth of the fetus.
Surgery to join a double uterus into one is possible, but is rarely performed unless patients experience severe symptoms.
The procedure removes the inner wall of tissue that separates the two vaginas, which can increase the chances of sustaining a pregnancy.
