The uterus is a vital organ in a woman’s body, where a fertilised egg not only grows but also develops into a baby. But did you know that the shape of your uterus also has a role to play in your pregnancy?
Yes, its shape affects how your baby lies in the womb.
While uterine abnormalities are unusual and only about three percent women are born with a defect in the shape, size or structure of the uterus, any abnormality in the uterus can affect your chances of a normal pregnancy.
One such uteri complication is the bicornuate uterus.
It is a congenital uterine malfunction wherein a girl is born with a heart-shaped uterus. Although it is one of the most common types of uterus irregularities, it can affect your pregnancy; unless you take necessary precautions for bicornuate uterus.
What Is A Bicornuate Uterus?
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A typical uterus has only one cavity. But a bicornuate uterus is when the ducts fail to fuse together correctly.
It happens when a baby girl’s uterus doesn’t form normally in her mum’s womb. This is a congenital abnormality and you can’t prevent or stop this condition.
A bicornuate uterus on its own doesn’t pose any harm to the health of the woman, but it can increase the risk of a preterm delivery.
How Bicornuate Uterus Affects Pregnancy
The heart-shaped uterus condition won’t affect your fertility, but there is always a chance for repeated miscarriages and of babies born with birth defects.
This is mainly due to irregular uterine contractions or a reduced capacity in the uterus.
There are some studies that highlight that this abnormality is more common in those who are infertile. Babies born to mums with a bicornuate uterus have a greater chance of developing birth defects in comparison to those who are born without it.
In fact, the risk was four times higher in one study.
Precautions For Bicornuate Uterus Pregnancy
Your pregnancy will be treated as high-risk if you have a bicornuate uterus. Your doctor will need to monitor your pregnancy carefully.
It may require frequent ultrasounds to check the position of your baby. You may also require extra testings and most likely give birth via c-section.
Monitor the symptoms
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In most cases, women born with a bicornuate uterus may not be aware of it. The reason being, there are no specific symptoms as such.
It is only after they have undergone an ultrasound or imaging test that they discover they have this condition. But here are some symptoms that women with a bicornuate uterus may exhibit:
- Period pain
- Pain during sex
- Discomfort in the abdomen
- irregular vaginal bleeding
Get proper diagnosis
A doctor can use the following tests to determine and detect if you have a bicornuate uterus condition
- Pelvic exam: A doctor will visually and physically examine your reproductive organs. During the exam, they may inspect the vagina, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and uterus.
- Ultrasound: Also known as sonography, with the help of high-frequency sound waves, this medical test is used to capture live images from the inside of your body.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This scan uses magnets and radio waves to capture images inside your body without making a surgical incision. Here, the doctor will be able to see the soft tissues of the body, such as muscles and organs, without your bones obstructing the view.
- Hysterosalpingogram: This is a kind of X-ray that looks at a woman’s uterus and fallopian tubes. It uses a contrast material so that the uterus and fallopian tubes show up clearly on the X-ray images.
Once the doctor has confirmed that you have a bicornuate uterus, they will suggest the treatment for it.
Get proper treatment
A primary treatment for this condition is a reconstructive surgery called a Strassman metroplasty that can correct the irregularly shaped uterus.
After the surgery, one can leave the hospital the same day and the recovery mostly takes few days. Although its worth noting that during the recovery period, you may notice some usual after-effects of surgery including pain, vaginal bleeding, and fatigue.
While the former two is typical side-effects of a surgery, you should consult your doctor immediately in case of excessive bleeding.
Check with the doctor on the waiting period before you can try to conceive again. Most doctors recommend waiting one or two months before you try to become pregnant again.
The good news is that 88 per cent of those who had this surgery not only got pregnant but had a successful births too.
The flipside is that there has been a lot of controversy on whether women experiencing infertility should opt for this surgery. Because according to some researches, a bicornuate uterus condition doesn’t affect a woman’s chance of being pregnant.
So having a bicornuate uterus condition probably won’t affect your fertility. But it can complicate your pregnancy, even though chances of a successful pregnancy and delivery are still high.
If you have this condition and planning to get pregnant, it is very important to consult with your doctor immediately.
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