A woman who found first found out she had two wombs at the age of 16, didn't realise she also had two vaginas until she gave birth to her first child.
Vic Au-Yeung says her condition caused her significant pain as a teen, and that she endured periods so intense they'd cause her to faint and bleed through her uniform.
After she collapsed in agony on the street, doctors told a 'heartbroken' Vic that she'd never be able to have children because of her two uteruses,
This 'devastating' news caused her to "go off the rails" for a while, using drink and partying as a means of coping with her sadness.
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But now mum-of-three Vic, who lives in Herefordshire, recalled: "Every month, I’d spend time in the medical room at school, fainting from loss of blood or leaking onto my school uniform.
"Tampons didn't work and I was forced to wear four sanitary pads at night and wake up to change them every few hours. When I was 16, I collapsed in the street from pain and was taken to A&E, where doctors told me I had two wombs and I'd never have children as a result, and that was the reason for my bad periods.
“I was absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken. I felt like my future had been taken away from me.”
However, after doing her own research, Vic came to realise that getting pregnant and giving birth wouldn't be a complete impossibility.
She gave birth to her daughter Clio, now 23, in 1998, and doctors made their second startling discovery during an examination.
Vic said: “When I gave birth the doctors already knew about my wombs, but it was whilst examining me in labour that my consultant realised I had two cervixes.
“I also had a terrible prolapse after she was born. They told me that it was skin dividing my normal vagina apart from a second one that was undetectable as it was so tiny in size.
“The doctor said I was a medical marvel and incredibly rare, but promised to fix me up with reconstructive surgery.”
She also finally learned why tampons hadn't worked for her after being diagnosed with Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS) – a congenital bone condition whereby at least two cervical vertebrae are still fused and immobile.
This condition can be due to a twin not forming correctly in their mother's womb, with the surviving baby ending up inheriting two sets of reproductive organs.
With a history of twins in her family. Vic believes that this could well be the reason for her condition.
Vic has since also developed dystonia, a chronic condition related to KFS whereby muscles contract involuntarily.
She ended up waiting six months for reconstructive surgery on her vagina, during which time she suffered severe terrible pain.
Vic went on to give birth to her other children Freddie and Jazmyn, but her hopes of having a fourth child were dashed.
Following a stage four endometriosis diagnosis, Vic ended up having a hysterectomy and was finally relieved of the pain she'd suffered from for so long.
Vic said: “I was 31 at the time and had suffered with heavy bleeding and chronic pain for just under 20 years.
“Not having periods for the last 11 years has been incredible. I think I take for granted how wonderful it is but I was very lucky – for many women, a hysterectomy doesn’t fix all the pain so I feel very blessed.
"To no longer be in pain is absolutely life-changing.”
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