An Alabama woman with two uteruses is expecting baby girls in both wombs, an “astounding” and rare pregnancy, according to doctors.
Kelsey Hatcher, a 32-year-old mom of three was born with a rare uterine anomaly called uterus didelphys, or two uteruses. However, she was not diagnosed with the condition until last spring, when she discovered she was pregnant – in each uterus.
Hatcher said her husband almost didn’t believe her.
“He said: ‘You’re lying,’ I said: ‘No, I’m not,” Hatcher told NBC News.
Uterus didelphys affects about 0.3% of women. The abnormality forms in the female embryo very early in development, around eight weeks gestation, according to fertility researchers.
“The fact both ovaries ovulated at the same time, or around the same time, is pretty astounding,” said Dr Hayley Miller, a fellow at Stanford Medicine’s OB-GYN department training in maternal-fetal medicine, and a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
While Hatcher prepares for two babies, doctors are preparing to have extra staff available for Hatcher’s labor. Women with two uteruses and two cervixes can present special challenges to doctors.
“I have cared for many patients with two uteruses and two cervixes, and it is oftentimes challenging to even induce labor with two cervixes and two uteruses,” said Miller.
The babies may even be born hours or days apart, as the uteruses could independently go into contractions. Hatcher’s doctors also highlighted to NBC the risk of cesarean section for a woman with two uteruses – namely, that there could be more blood loss because two incisions would be necessary (one in each uterus).
While seemingly all agree the pregnancy is remarkable, one matter up for debate is how to describe the children – as siblings or fraternal twins? Hatcher’s due date is Christmas Day, according to the local news station WVTM.
