While women with a double uterus can have successful pregnancies, the condition does pose an increased risk of miscarriage or premature birth...
Digital Desk: A woman from Alabama is expecting not one but two sets of twins, with each nestled in her two separate uteri. Kelsey Hatcher and her husband, Caleb, who are already parents to three children aged 7, 4, and 2, were astounded when they received the news during a routine check-up earlier this year.
"I said, 'Well, there's two of them in there.' And [my husband] said, 'You're lying.' I said, 'No, I'm not,'" recounted Kelsey in an interview with WVTM13.
What makes Kelsey's pregnancy even more extraordinary is her pre-existing condition – she was born with two uteri, each with its own cervix. Dr. Shweta Patel, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, remarked on the rarity of such a case, stating, "Very, very rare. OB/GYNs go their whole careers without seeing anything like this."
The Mayo Clinic explains that a double uterus is a rare condition present at birth in some women. In a female fetus, the uterus starts as two small tubes that usually join to form one larger organ. However, in some cases, the tubes develop into separate organs, each with its own cervix.
While women with a double uterus can have successful pregnancies, the condition does pose an increased risk of miscarriage or premature birth. Dr. Richard Davis, a specialist in high-risk pregnancies, indicated that only about "three per 1,000 women might" have a double cervix or double uteruses, making Kelsey's situation exceptionally rare.
As Kelsey's due date coincides with Christmas Day, doctors are closely monitoring her high-risk pregnancy. Dr. Davis explained the need for careful observation during labor, stating, "When she goes into labor, if she does, then we will have to monitor each uterus and see which one's contracting and if they're doing sort of almost the same, or they're different."
Dr. Patel highlighted the uniqueness of Kelsey's case, emphasizing the medical community's lack of an official term to describe the two sets of twins. "I think medically, this is such a rare thing that I think we don't have a better way of describing it besides still calling them twins," she stated.
As the Hatcher family eagerly anticipates the arrival of their two bundles of joy on Christmas Day, medical professionals continue to marvel at the extraordinary nature of Kelsey's pregnancy.
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