A 30-year-old American gave birth to two children in less than a year. The young mother had a double uterus. This rare malformation is called “didelphus uterus”. Explanations.
- A woman with two uteri can carry a pregnancy to term.
- However, there is an increased risk of miscarriage and premature delivery.
- Babies can also be born extremely small.
Incredible but true. Caroline Wortman, a 30-year-old woman, gave birth to two babies in the same year! Explanation: they developed in two different wombs. Several years ago, the American, originally from Georgia, learned that she might not be able to have children because she was born and lived with a split reproductive system. Clearly, the young mother was suffering from uterine didelphia, namely a rare malformation of the uterus.
“Josie was in the right womb, Brooks in the left”
According to DailyMail, a few years later, the thirty-something managed to get pregnant. In January 2021, she gives birth to a baby girl, Josie. Six months after her birth, she discovers that she was already expecting another baby. “We were overjoyed, but also terrified”, told the British newspaper, Caroline Wortman. In December 2021, specifically on Boxing Day, the couple welcomed their son Brooks. “The baby was small enough that we could see the other uterus and confirm which side the baby was on. Josie was in the right uterus, Brooks in the left.”she added.
Since her second childbirth, she has been sharing her story on social networks to raise awareness of fertility issues. “Being sterile and thinking you will be are two different things, but I encourage women not to give up if they want to become mothers”says the American in a video posted on Tiktok.
Uterine didelphia, a rare pathology
Uterine didelphia, from which Caroline Wortman suffered, affects approximately one in 2,000 women. This rare malformation develops when a baby girl is in her mother’s womb. Normally, each uterus consists of two ducts called “Mullerian ducts”. When they begin to grow, they usually merge to form a single uterus. In women affected by uterine didelphia, fusion does not take place.
This condition can often go unnoticed. According to a study published in the journal The Pan African Medical Journal, it can be detected just after the first period. The diagnosis can also be established in case of problems related to the menstrual cycle, ultrasound or pregnancy.
What are the possible treatments ?
According to the Bernabeu Institutea clinic specializing in finding and providing solutions to fertility problems, uterine didelphia usually does not require treatment. “However, there is a surgical treatment, called Strassman’s metroplasty, which consists of uniting the two uteri on the outside, then making an incision in the wall to join the endometrial cavities. There is currently no indication for this surgery. , because no meta-analysis or study with a good design could demonstrate that it improves the clinical conditions of the patient in comparison to the application of no treatment”, can we read on his website.
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