Let's Talk About Having a Bicornuate Uterus

JennBUT (232) 08 Feb 2007 09:30 PM

I was diagnosed with uterine didelphys which is very similar to a bicornuate uterus (and often times referred to as one in the same). It was a long road to successful pregnancy and lots of treatment and Dr visits, but I have two very healthy boys. Just proof that it CAN be done!!!

Sara Denomme (1063) 09 Feb 2007 09:36 AM

That is wonderful - thank you so much for sharing!

Andrea Hermitt (4668) 27 Feb 2007 09:43 PM

I had my two children 10 and 12 years ago before finding out I had a bircornate uterus. The problem was not diagnosed until after it was removed and disected. I had it removed after years of uncontrolled bleeding.

MMP (5) 01 Mar 2007 08:00 AM

I am 30 years old. On the 31st of December 2006 I had a miscarriage. I was 15 weeks pregnant. I have a bicornuate uterus. During my pregnancy I had three scares that resulted in severe bleeding and visits to hospital. Each time the doctor confirmed that the baby was fine. Throughout the pregnancy I was spotting and was bed bound. I am having a hard time dealing with the loss and I am very worried that I will continue to have problems and will not be able to carry a baby to full term. I would like to try again as I know the pregnancy road might be very difficult as I am in the high risk category. However, my boyfriend wants to wait a year or two before trying again. I have been with him for three years and live with him. I am not comfortable with the idea of trying again in a year or two years time primarily because I suspect that I will have difficult pregnancy. This is causing a rift in our relationship. I am having a hard time dealing with this and am considering leaving. I don't understand his reasons for waiting. We have a house and he is financial able. I am considering couple counselling but in the end the rejection feels too much for me to do with. Any advice?

fostertwin (5) 09 Nov 2007 01:35 PM

Howdy all. Wanted to share some thoughts on the "split" uterus. I have a completely split uterus, from the cervix it completely branches into two. My husband and I have been married 8 years, and 7 years ago we started trying for children. After many tests, fertility treatments, and such we pretty much gave up and decided to do foster care. Well, we've adopted our son Elijah, he's 4 now, and we're on our way to adopting another foster son. And..............we're pregnant!!! :) I'm currently 28 weeks along, I've been on bedrest for 7 weeks due to bleeding. My doc is trying to get me to 30 weeks, I think I'll make it! I had a cerclage put in at 13 weeks, something I highly recommend as the procedure wasnt anything major and it seems to have helped. Just saw the little man on Wednesday (yes, we're having a boy! prayers please :) ) and he looks wonderful. I guess my point in all this is that it is possible to achieve pregnancy with a split uterus, it may take awhile but DONT GIVE UP! We truly never expected to be able to get pregnant, I actually considered having a hysterectomy last fall. Thank the Lord I didnt!

lisaborgens (11) 11 Dec 2007 01:14 AM

Hi there, I'm 25 and I was just told I have the split uterus so its called.I'd never heard of this and frankly it upset me to know that I will have probelms having children. I have still have to have an ultra sound to get the whole picture,but from what my doctor could see she said it looks like a classic case,but she wants to do an ultra sound. Its not fixable,but I'm hoping maybe it isn't a severe situation. I'm not married and I'm single so I guess I shouldn't panic just yet,I'm not trying to have a baby just yet,but I'll post an update after I have my ultra sound on Jan 3rd 2008.

Brealynette (15) 18 Dec 2007 11:04 PM

Hi, I am 21 and I found out a little over 2 years ago that I have a Bicornuate Uterus. My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for 2 years and 4 months now. I have had 3 miscarriages... My uterus is completly split. the doctor says its like I have 2 small uterus unstead of just one normal one.. My question is can you get pregnant and stay pregnant with this problem ... Or will I just keep having miscarriages.. I questioned my doctor about this He will not give me a straight answer. Thanks

fwhite0128 (5) 30 Dec 2007 04:21 PM

I was just reading the post and I wanted to add my situation to it. I'm 35 now, but when I was pregnant with my first child at 19 I started going into labor at 4 months and kept having issues until I was 7 months and at that time I had to have a C-section. It wasn't until a few months after that, that my doctor discovered that I had a split uterus. He told me that with every child that I have that my uterus will be able to expand more. 3 years later I was pregnant again and I was able to carry her until I was 8 months. I'm in the process of TTC and I'm scared that since it's been so long that I'm going to start right back at only being able to carry my baby to 7 months (so I pray). I do have a question for you ladies. Do you know that it's possible that you only have one kidney? About 8 years ago I started having some bad stomach pain, I thought maybe gallbladder problems. Well I went to the ER and I had an ultrasound done and while the technician was trying to find the problem, I was asked if I donated a kidney or if I was in some accident that took one of my kidneys. Well the answer to that was NO. I told my OBGYN about it and he told me that he should of checked for that when he found out that I had a split uterus. He told me that the uterus and kidneys form at the same time and usually when there is an issue with one that there's usually a problem with the other. My one kidney is healthy, but I had to stop taking any anti-inflammatory because it's not good for your kidney/s. Have that checked out if you haven't already. Anyway just know that you can have a baby, I have 2 health girls 15 and 12 and TTC another. Good luck and baby dust to all.

hazelm (5) 01 Jan 2008 05:33 PM

hi I just want everyone to know that it is possible to fall pregnant and have a healthy baby with a bi-cornuate uterus. I had my son 8 years ago although at the time I didnt know about my uterus, I only found out when I started having fertility problems a few years ago but I also have pcos so this is the main reason for my fertility problems. So dont give up hope it is def possible to have a baby and a perfectly normal pregnancy and carry to full term my sone was born about a week and a half early but that was going by the scan dates. Im keeping my fingers crossed for all of you and that I may be able to have another baby one day.

lisaborgens (11) 06 Jan 2008 06:11 PM

Yup I have the split right up the middle of it giveing me two halves of about the same size, I have to have the ultrasound to check my kidneys,but well least I know. I'm not trying for kids,but I'll worry about it when I get that far :) Guess I'll update when i get my kidney results back.

Brealynette (15) 22 Jan 2008 07:51 PM

Thank you all so much for your words of encouragment.You hve given me so much hope.. I know that I will have a baby when God gets ready to give me one. It is so easy to get dicouraged when you have been waiting so long.But it is awsome to have people that have went through it to talk to you about it. Thank you so much keep the words of encouragment comeing..

ladynel (5) 25 Jan 2008 04:27 PM

I first off would like to say thank you to everyone who has posted on this site... Your encouragement does not go without praise. I was diagnosed with having a bicornuate uterus about 2 years ago... right after I got married. I started researching a bicornuate uterus and realized that it is so nice to read stories from women like you who can relate to what I am going through. So thank you! For the last 6 months my husband and I have been trying to conceive but have not had any luck. Although we knew starting a family could potentially be a long and hard road, we are trying to not get too discouraged... after all, it has only been 6 months. I am going to see a new doctor on Feb. 26th so I am hoping that she will have some great advice. I will also have to ask her about the kidney thing.

Tristi Pinkston (10294) 26 Jan 2008 12:19 PM

Wow -- so that's what my condition is called!

I had three children at home with a midwife with no complications at all and I never suspected there was anything wrong with me. Baby #4 was breech and would not turn, so I went in for a c-section and they told me my uterus was heart-shaped and that the baby had gotten hung up and couldn't turn. All my children are completely healthy and I've never had problems with fertility -- I'm seeing now, after reading this article, that there's a lot more that could have gone wrong. I'm so glad it didn't!

chandler1988 (5) 29 Jan 2008 12:55 PM

I just found out I have a split uterus when I was 8 weeks pregnant. I am now 16 weeks and have had no problems. I'm sort of confused because when my doctor told me I had a split uterus she told me the only thing that it could cause was for me to go into labor a month or so early. She didn't tell me about any chance of a miscarriage or anything. Would she have told me if I had a chance of that or did she probably just not tell me so I wouldn't worry and stress myself out and increase the chance of having a miscarriage?

taylorann (8) 29 Jan 2008 07:08 PM

I just found out today that I have a bicornuate uterus. I am 17 and I am not planning on starting a family anytime soon, but reading about all of the complications I could face when I am ready to start a family really scares me. I have been a complete mess all day because I am afraid I won't be able to have children. For as long as I can remember, I have been terrified that I wouldn't be able to have my own children. I think it was because my mother new a woman that couldn't have kids, so my mom had one for her, and ever since then, (i was 2-3yrs then) I was afraid I would have to find someone to have a baby for me. Then, as my friends were all getting their periods, I wasn't. And it again had me thinking that I couldn't have kids. So, today when I found out that I have a bicornuate uterus, I was devastated. (Especially after I did research on it) But, after reading everyones stories on here, it gave me hope. It made me feel a little bit better knowing that there are people out there that made out just fine. I am really hoping and praying that I will someday have my own healthy children. To everyone else out there that is in this same position, you are in my prayers and I hope everything turns out okay. Thank you so much everybody!!!

leidbug_2000 (5) 04 Feb 2008 08:53 AM

Thanks for sharing your stories! I'm 26 and I found out I had a bicornate uterus about a year ago along with a wall of tissue (tranversed vaginal septum) blocking the entrance to my uterus. I had surgery on 1/30/08 to remove the wall of tissuse and to get a bettter look at the uterus. The uteri are similar in size. However, they found my right fallopian tube has some scar tissue in it and my lefft one was removed already. The doc. said I wouldn't be able to have kids naturally and would have to do invitro, surogacy or adoption. I am leaning toward invitro and have been told the chance of miscarriage is about 25% and that I will most likely only carry to approx. 27 weeks. Any advice or comments on my situation would be appreciated. We go back to the doc. on 2/6/08 to talk more about the options.

P.S. My Reproductive Specialist mention the possibility of having 3 kidneys since deformities are possible in conjunction with the split uterus which is a birth defect. I guess I was checked out for multiples and that was one thing that was normal!

ang1978 (5) 05 Feb 2008 06:13 PM

i have always known i had a bicornuate uterus, i have had two normal births, i did have my girls when i was young but the only problem i had when i gave birth was i lost a lot of blood, and yes its true the doctors do say the bigger the baby the more chance of early labour i proved them wrong lol my first child was 9lb 1oz my second was 10lb. two years ago i did have a miscarrage but i am now 17 weeks pregnant, my youngest child is 12 years old , i guess what im saying is that every bicornuate uterus is different while i do have a complete split in mine which is bad, but i have not had alot of dramas because of it, i have found that in the first few weeks of pregnancy try to get as much bed rest as possible, good luck to everyone

Brealynette (15) 07 Feb 2008 11:05 PM

You guys dont know what it means to have all of yall's encouragment.. As I wrote above.I to have a bicornuate uterus. mine is split in half. I ahve had a few miscarriages. One very recent. All of you that have the same prob and get on here and tell about your children give me so much hope. Thank you so much ! keep the words of encouragement comeing.

Jenny212 (15) 08 Feb 2008 12:55 PM

Hello All.

Its so encouraging to see all the women who have the same problem as me and I feel that there is hope. I too was diagnosed this yr with a bicornuate uterus (heart shape). I'm 30 , and my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for 2 and a half yrs. I finally got pregnant in December 2007 and at 6 weeks I started spotting. They did an ultra sound and found that I have the heart shape uterus with the little hooks on top, and thankfully there was a heart beat and we saw the little baby . (Heart beat was 107 at 6 weeks) And my baby is implanted on the right side quite high up there close to the hook. He sent us home and told me I am high risk pregnancy (as encouraging as doctors are lol). I've had a miscarriage a few yrs back and we were involved in a car accident witch didn't help and caused me to finally miscarry. No one picked up that I had the bicornuate uterus in the ultra sound. However getting back to this pregnancy, after spotting on and off at 6 , 7 , 8 weeks.. it seemed to taper off and i had 2 weeks of no spotting. I'm now in my 11th week and i've started spotting a little again , and have had some sharp pains across my uterus , seems right there where the hook is. We are going to go to the doctor again and get an ultra sound to see if the baby is growing ok. I'm just wondering if anyone has had spotting and what your experience was , and if any of you out there have the same thing with the baby implanted on the right side. I'm being hopeful and keeping my eyes towards God. I pray for all of you with the same condition, God knows its a tough road. While so many women take pregnancy for granted. I cherish every moment of it because I don't know what tomorrow brings.

Jenny212 (15) 09 Feb 2008 11:40 AM

MMP (5) 01 Mar 2007 08:00 AM

I am 30 years old. On the 31st of December 2006 I had a miscarriage. I was 15 weeks pregnant. I have a bicornuate uterus. During my pregnancy I had three scares that resulted in severe bleeding and visits to hospital. Each time the doctor confirmed that the baby was fine. Throughout the pregnancy I was spotting and was bed bound. I am having a hard time dealing with the loss and I am very worried that I will continue to have problems and will not be able to carry a baby to full term. I would like to try again as I know the pregnancy road might be very difficult as I am in the high risk category. However, my boyfriend wants to wait a year or two before trying again. I have been with him for three years and live with him. I am not comfortable with the idea of trying again in a year or two years time primarily because I suspect that I will have difficult pregnancy. This is causing a rift in our relationship. I am having a hard time dealing with this and am considering leaving. I don't understand his reasons for waiting. We have a house and he is financial able. I am considering couple counselling but in the end the rejection feels too much for me to do with. Any advice?

I am sorry to hear about your loss. I know all to well what its like to have a miscarriage. And to have this bicornuate uterus (heart shape) . I too am spotting on and off and I pray every day that I'll be ok, but its really in Gods hands. Don't loose hope . Women who have worse shaped uterus' still give birth to healthy babies. So there is hope. Losing a baby isn't just hard for us its hard for our loved ones especially husbands, boyfrends... They suffer just as much . Give it time to heal for both of you. I know that its frightning to think of getting pregnant again and going through this Yet again! I think of it as well and it terrorizes me . But look on the bright side and where there's faith there's hope! I know women who have had more than 8 miscarriages and they still have healthy babies. Who knows why that is , only God knows , our job is to keep trying and hoping for the best. Maybe some time to heal will be good for you , spiritually and phisically and maybe in a yr or two you will change your mind and want to try again. Its hard to see past tomorow when you grieve a loss of a baby , and it stays with you forever, I know because my loss is always in my mind, but we just have to keep on going no matter how hard the road seems to be. I pray you make the right decision and stick it out and try to work on your relationship and hang in there time trully does heal us! Good luck!

God bless you

maybabymom (5) 24 Feb 2008 03:18 AM

I came upon this site after googling Bicornuate Uterus. In May, 2006, I delivered a beautiful healthy boy via c-section. Immediately following the delivery, the doctor mentioned that I had a heart-shaped uterus. I had bleeding at 13 weeks that seemed to be a miscarriage, but was not. Then around 5 or 6 months, I began having trouble breathing in almost any position but standing. And my ribs felt like there was a hot poker stuck in them. Eventually you could actually see his head turn above by my ribs. At around 35 weeks, they confirmed that he was breech and I was losing fluid. Also, he seemed to stop growing in my womb. So at 37 weeks they delivered him by c-section. I had no idea until that day that I had an abnormally-shaped uterus. But after reading about it, I can see that I had most of the common issues associated with it. I am sort of glad I did not know about it, because I would have worried even more than I already did about him making it to full term. I count myself quite lucky to have my beautiful, amazing son who is now 21 months old. The doctor never has never said anything about the risks associated with a bicornuate uterus with regard to trying to for baby #2. I guess I will just have to have faith that it will happen if it is meant to be. Blessings to all who are still waiting for this miracle to happen in their lives. Just know that it can happen and try not to get too discouraged. Good luck!

Jenny212 (15) 16 Apr 2008 08:30 PM

Hello everyone.

Well I'm 21 weeks along and so far so good praise the Lord. I had a lot of bed rest so far and have been taking it easy for the most part. I'm thankful that i haven't had any more spotting wich was freaking me out . So i'm just letting everyone know there is hope even with a heart shape uterus like mine. I always remind myself that God is in charge and that if he wants this baby to live well nothing not even some funny shaped uterus will stop it from living because it was God's Will! So have faith girls and good luck to all women suffering with the same condition. THERE IS HOPE!

Tristi Pinkston (10294) 17 Apr 2008 12:56 AM

Hey, Jenny! Yes, there is hope. I've had four children and every one of them have been born healthy and strong. The last one was a c-section, but I was able to have the other three naturally. It can be done -- keep the faith that it's so.

cubipt (5) 18 Apr 2008 01:07 PM

Hi,

I just found out that I have a bicornuate uterus today. I am 37 and have four children. I have 15, 13, 5, & 3. I am flabbergasted reading how many problems I could have had and thankful for my 4 healthy children. I remember when I was younger, wanting to become pregnant and as I got older, being thankful that I didn't at a young age. I used to think that I couldn't get pregnant and told my first husband I couldn't (and then I did, oops!) Anyway,

happypapy (5) 29 Apr 2008 08:48 AM

hi my wife is 8 weeks pregnant and we fonud out she has a bicornuate uterus today. That explains why she had a miscarriage last year. I would really like to get some advice from expericence people. Thanks

1happimom (5) 12 May 2008 08:41 PM

ok im 32 and i have a 14 year old and 2 year old. I have haad a total of 10 miscarriages and 2 live births due to the fact that even though i was having ultrasounds every 2 weeks thoughout my pregnancy with my 14 year old, not until i was pregnant with my 2 year old (9t pregnancy), a really good ultrasound tech noticed i had a bicornuated uterus. I was in e.r. almost every other day due to red bleeding (alot) and i was put on strict bed rest my whole pregnancy and bled the whole pregnancy till 15 weeks, and then i stopped. My 2 year old was breech but healthy. You can get pregnant but until u have a good ultrasound tech and dr on your side, there might be alot of unanswered questions and worrying. Good luck to all with this,but my dr did say that i could have the other side sewed up so i could only get pregnant on the right side.

Kiachu (5) 02 Jun 2008 08:19 PM

Hello,

I have a bicornuate uterus. It was diagnosed when I was 5 weeks and was having some adominal pain. The ER doctors told me I would miscarry, but my GYN told me not to worry and just look out for preterm labor and be prepared for a c-section because of a breech. I had an uncomplicated pregnancy and went to term. My daughter wasn't breech. I did have a horrible birth experience due to the baby being face up and jammed up in my pelvic bone. That led to a painful, long labor and finally a c-seciton, but otherwise my uterus caused no problems. I have no bleeding during pregnancy nor any abnormal periods after. I know people who didn't find out they had this type of Uterus until they had a hystorectomy or a c-section after a 3rd or 4th child.

I was also told that it was hard to get pregnant. But I was pregnant after a month of trying. Baby ended up on the right side. I heard the fertility problems are the exception and not the rule and that if a woman with a bicornuate uterus miscarries it could be other reasons besides the uterus.

Lauryn79 (5) 10 Jun 2008 09:25 PM

I am going on 29 years old, and I completely understand all the stories I see here. I was diagnosed with a bicornuate uterus (heart-shaped not split) when I was a teenager, of course then I wasn't really concerned.

I got pregnant at 19 and had no complications what so ever. It was at 38 weeks that my Doc informed me that my daughter kept turning around and ultimately induced me 1 week early when they caught her head down (2000). No problems but she at the age of five was diagnosed with a congenial heart defect that was surgically repaired, not quite sure if it was related. My second pregnancy(Jan 01) was a miscarriage (12 weeks) but I immediately got pregnant a 3rd time (not recommended though) My 2nd child (3rd Pregnancy) put me into pre-term labor at 28 weeks.. I was put through the whole nine yards (magnisium sulfate YUCK) but it did stop the labor for the time being. She was preterm but only 3 weeks...(Dec 2001) After her I was re-married and in 2006 I became pregnant(#4) , I again miscarried ( 10 weeks)... a few months later I was pregnant again(#5) and this was the most stressful one thus far, at 7 weeks the ultrasound detected a baby and a mass of unknown origin, I was spotting but the doc told us it was still a viable baby... a long story short I began to have Heavy bleeding with clots, I would almost faint and turn pale while experiencing pain, and 1 mass turned into two and the baby was still fine.. Of course I was on bed-rest, I was unable to even walk for more than a few minutes with out the feeling of fainting due to the blood loss... unfortunately this baby made it to 15 weeks and I lost it...My husband and I have taken a break trying. It was indeed a very emotional time and still affects us today. Both of us are scared. I do have faith that we will have our first child (my 2 children are from my last marriage.) This is the first time I have found a forum that discussed this issue, I have felt so alone. Even though my story may sound scary, I didn't write this to scare anyone, I understand what it's like not to be aware of this condition. I learned what I know through experience and research and a few good doctors have filled in the blanks. I believe that this should be studied more often. I have been asked by technicians and doctors to let people observe my ultrasound for learning purposes on many occasions, I always say yes, I feel that this is important to know more about. This is so rare, I think it's almost humorous how excited medical staff get to view my special heart-shaped uterus.. those of you who are newly diagnosed, my one advice I would give is find the right doctor!! Best of luck to all of us :) and thank you for sharing your stories! It's helped my soul a lot!

michshellybelly (5) 23 Jun 2008 04:02 PM

I am 28 and 13 weeks pregnant...I had no problems conceiving...but for some strange reason always felt like I would never get pregnant. Upon having my first ultrasound, my doctor informed me that I had a bicornuate uterus. I left the office scared, uninformed, and upset. After researching the condition (and having an awful experience with that OBGYN) I decided to contact another doctor who deals with fetal medicine and high risk pregnancies. I live in San Diego and now how a wonderful doctor, who I feel confident will take care of my baby and I. I think my uterus is more heart shaped and does not have a septum. At this point my doctor has me coming in every three weeks. They are checking my cervix to make sure that isn't shortening (which is a sign of preterm labor). I've spent many days and nights upset and worried, but I've just decided that this is out of my hands and there is no sense in worrying when everything might work out just fine. I would suggest that if you have this condition - find a specialist that sees these types of condition all the time. Try researching perinatal, high-risk, or fetal medicine doctors. I wish all healthy and happy pregnancies and babies.

dawnmerlino (5) 24 Jul 2008 04:39 PM

Hi , I' m 34 years old and just today I was diagnosed through an ultrasound for my current pregnancy of 9 weeks with a bicornuate uterus. I already have 2 healthy boys ages 15 and 11 and had not 1 problem with thoses pregnancies. I carried both boys full term and they both weighted over 7 pounds. I am now more scared about miscarring more then ever! Just last April I miscarried at 6 weeks and it was horrible!!!! It took me and my husband 1 year to conceive this child , the last thing I want is to lose it . My doctor said that I was able to carry my other 2 full term and no problems I should be fine , she also said the baby is looking good and is where it should be!! I just hope for the best and a happy healthy baby in February!!!!!!! Good Luck to all the women with the same problem :)

neman (5) 12 Aug 2008 06:45 AM

I found out at 41 weeks that I have a bicornuate uterus and have to have a c-section. I was told that a lot of times the baby comes preterm or is small. My baby is 8 pounds and there was a lot of extra fluid. The only reason they caught it was because I was over my due date and the baby turned. My doctor wanted to avoid a c-section so he sent me to get a version (to turn the baby). In that ultrasound they found a septum and told me it was too dangerous to do a version so the only way the baby would come is a c-section. I was really surprised that no one caught on at my 5 month ultrasound. Everyone is surprised that I have such a big and healthy baby that made it 41 weeks. At this point my only worry is what will happen the next time we try to have a baby. We had no trouble getting pregnant and had no miscarriages. But if there is a risk of miscarriage or preterm labor it worries me. It also limits the number of children we can have (which is really disheartening). I know with a c-section in general I really can't have very many kids. Anyone got advice? Should we try right away to see if we can have another or should we wait? Is waiting going to put us further behind in being able to have children (especially if I miscarry a lot)?