Bicornuate Uterus

My sister has a bicornuate uterus - she had absolutely no probs conceiving and no "symptoms" of it. The only "hitch" was that her bub was footling breech and his head was more or less lodged into one half of the "heart" shape at the top of her uterus - so no chance of him turning, or being turned, before his due date. She ended up having a C-section around her due date and now has a very healthy 11-month-old DS.

Andie

I also have a bicornuate uterus of equal size and am 10 weeks pregnant. I've scoured the internet for information but there are so little studies done on our condition and most of the studies have such small numbers you have to wonder about the accuracy. My pregnancy is also on the left side. I actually had ivf and the FS implanted on the left so I was expecting that. The second trimester is the scary part for us so I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping I'm one of the lucky 50% whose bicornuate pregnancy makes it.

This is all so scary. I went to my first ultrasound and thourght that all i had to worry about was making sure the baby was in-utero then they tell me i had bicornuate uterus and now i just try not to think of the possibility of miscarrying especially in the second trimester would be just devestating. I was wondering if enybody knew why there is so many risk in the second part of the pregnancy? I was hanging out till the end of first trimester now i will extending that until the day of delivery i think would be a more realistic plan :crossfingers: . Well i have my second ultrasound tommorow to hear the heartbeat and hope in 7 months time i would be able to hold my precouis little gift :sling: . I was also wondering how margeo went with her procedure? Seeker hope you don't mind my asking but have you had troubles with fertility due to your uterus to be resorting to IVF? Well lady's i only wish that we could be all those lucky 50% and hope that we have happy story's to report in future posting's.

A true Bicornuate uterus shouldn't cause infertility but rather just problems with carrying the baby because everything is half the normal size and we can have a weak cervix. I had IVF after trying unsuccessfully for a year and a half to get pregnant the old fashioned way. (I'm also 38 so the clock was ticking!) The FS wouldn't give me Clomid or any fertility drugs to try due to the risk of twins so it was basically IVF or nothing.

Anyway I went to my OB today who gave me a good lecture about staying positive and not worrying too much because it is not something you can control and he said even though I'm 38 now I still have a couple of years to keep trying so not to obsess about it. I am going to go for more ultrasounds than normal though to monitor my cervix for weakness after about 15 weeks so make sure you insist on that. If they find a weakness they can stitch it up.

Keep in touch everyone - It's unlikely we'll meet anyone in real life with this condition

Hi Margeo,

I'm sorry to hear of your loss, I also have a bicornuate uterus, I have suffered 2 miscarriages, the first when I was 8wks, the 2nd when I was 13wks, am currently 31 wks 4days pregnant, and am hoping the birth goes well.

The only thing that I have been told is that I will more than likely have an early labour, and that I will be more uncomfortable than other women due to the way she is laying.

My husband and I suffered a few infertility issues, we thought that there was a problem with one of us, and were really surprised when we found out that we were going to be parents.

I was always told that my miscarriages were just something that happened, but now I believe that in fact it's the shape of my uterus that caused it.

Hi Charlotte
Welcome to BB!

Sounds like you have had a tough journey to get to where you are now. WIshing you all the best with your birth.

Have you checked out the pregnancy and belly buddy forums of the site? You are welcome to jump on in and introduce yourself.

Hi everyone

I thought I'd just share my experience of being diagnosed with bicornuate uterus, as I also found there was not much information when I researched it in 2006; yet I found comfort in reading the posts of other women with the condition.

When I went for my first scan at 6.5 weeks, I found out that I had a bicornuate uterus, and that my little baby Audrey was in the right 'horn'. All throughout my pregnancy, with subsequent scans, it was confirmed that I had a bicornuate uterus. It was also quite obvious as little Audrey was on the right side of my belly, and hence, my belly was a bit lop-sided :-) I did not suffer any complications throughout my pregnancy, although some doctors advised me that I was at risk of uterine rupture as soon as my waters broke.

However, this is the interesting bit....I was scheduled for a Caesarean at 39weeks because she was in the breech position but my waters broke at 38weeks and I had an "emergency" (?9hrs terrifying wait later??) caesarean....
The day after the delivery, I asked the nurse if I could talk to the doctor about my bicornuate uterus. She checked my medical record chart and the surgeon had written in the medical record that there was "no evidence of bicornuate uterus upon visual inspection of the uterus" !!!

You would think that a visual inspection would provide the best opportunity to evaluate the condition?!!

So, it all remains a mystery to me whether I indeed have a bicornuate uterus.

I just wanted to share this experience with you in case any of you have a chance to ask your doctor to take a proper look at your uterus (if you're having a Caesarean) during surgery, and to find out the extent of the condition. I know next time, I'll be asking many more questions!

Wishing you all the very best with your pregnancies, new little bubs, toddlers & hubbies,
Liz

hi,
My partner and I have decided to start a family and we have been trying for about 4 months now still with no luck. About 1 week ago we found out that i have a Bicornate uterus and that it is the reason we are having trouble. I have always wanted a big family so it was hard news to bare.

I am really sorry for your loss and hope that one daysoon you will have a bubbly baby to hold in your arms.

It is really comforing to know that there is other people in you situation.

Thank you to everyone who shared there stories aand good luck to everyone in this situation.

I too have a BU. I have had 2 pregnancies and no living children. My 1st was Carly, she was born Nov. 2007. She suffered from severe IUGR and was born at 28w3d (but the size of a 20weeker) weighing only 13 ounces (380 grams) and 10 inches long. She had no fluid left and had a brain defect. She was stressed out and her HR kept dropping so was delivered via emergency csection. She ived in the NICU for 4 months before passing away from a heart defect tat went unnoticed. 1 month later I got pregnant again with hannah. She was growing good and free of defects by 20 weeks. By 25 weeks she was 1 week behind in growth. My doc refused to do any more u/s. By 28 weeks her movements slowed down a lot and I was told it was normal. :rolleyes: At 32 w2d I felt no movement and went to L&D to find out that her heart had just stopped beating. She was a stillborn in Nov. 2008. She also suffered from IUGR and only weighed 2 pounds 15 ounces. She was about 4 weeks behind in growth.

I can only think that my uterus is the cause for this. I've had all other test thought possible done with noting showing up. My MFM doctor thought doesn't think that it's causing my problems. I think I need to get a second opinion before we try again in December.

I just wish there were more studies that could be found online. I don;t know if i can post my email here or not but I'm gonna do it anyways and if it stays great! If not then that's fine too.

Please anyone with experience with this who is will to talk about it please email me

carlynhannah @ yahoo.com

Rachel

Hello,

I too have a bicornuate uterus.
I was unaware of it until I had my daughter (by c section as she was breech.)
I am amazed that I went my entire pregnancy without discovering this!
I had all the right scans and some extras and yet it was'nt discovered until the ob opened me up.
I had a very uncomfortable pregnancy and was constantly exhausted.
My baby grew in the right side of my uterus and was born reasonably small.
I am still unaware of the complications I may face in future pregnancies because no one has dicussed it with me.
After reading some of the stuff on the net I am extremely grateful for my healthy daughter who has just turned one. :D
My condolences to those of you who have suffered losses due to this condition xx

Hello there fellow bicornuates,

At the start of the year my husband and i were thrilled to see the 2 lines appear on our pregnancy test. We both believed being young and healthy that this pregnancy would be a breeze, ah but no. 5 weeks in i started to have mild period like cramping, my GP then sent me for a ultrasound thinking i was having an ectopic pregnancy. During this ultrasound we were told that i had a bicornuate uterus, a phrase i had never heard.

Turned out i didnt have ectopic, although unfortunately i did miscarry at 6 1/2 weeks. My question remained, what exactly is a bicornuate uterus and how does it affect pregnancy. We have since had more heartache with another (if not 2) miscarriges.

Thanks for listening (reading) everyone, am just feeling somewhat helpless. Would just love to hear more stories about this condition, any info would help.

Ta

Hello all

I too have just been told I have a bicornuate uterus.. I had a baby boy in july and he was 4 weeks premi.. I had much trouble with him from the get go and was in hospital for 6 weeks before he was born. Through out the pregnancy I had no idea I had this condition. Reading about it now it has absolutely scared me and I am so grateful I have a healthy baby boy.

Until I had the caesearean section I had no idea and no one told me I had a bicornuate uterus despite having around 20 ultrasounds throughout my pregnancy and despite having 2 miscarriages in the 2 years prior.

It is possible to have a health baby however from what I read the risks are quite high of miscarriage. It brought tears to my eyes to read the stories of mothers who lost their babies at 16 weeks and 20 weeks etc. I know from my own experiences losing a baby in the early stages is completely devastating. I lost my first one at 14 weeks and my second one about 7 weeks. There is nothing that heals it completely but having a healthy beautiful baby certainly helps.

I wish everyone best of luck and know you can do it. I managed, it took me a couple of years and on top of that I have another medical condition and I now have a healthy boy.

XXX

Hi all and thanks for your comments, they have been most informative and calming.

My fiance is 6 weeks pregnant and has been taken into hospital because of server sickness, she was very dehydrated and very week after not being able to keep any food/drink down for almost a week.

So our gp took my fiance into hospital and they started her on a drip and began giving injections/tablets to try and get her eating cycle back to normal for her and the babies sake. During the time in hospital our gyno booked us in for a scan.

This is our first pregnancy and are a couple who are easily scared by all the things that can go wrong and just want to be aware of all the things we should/shouldn't be doing to give us the best possible chance of having a health baby.

During the scan they noticed something was not quiet right and later diagnosed a "heart shapped" uterus. We was informed that our baby all 5mm of it was growing strong and well in the left horn. This was all we was told about the condition. It was only when I got home I did research into this and am now really worried about misscarriage.

We have not been given any more information and don't have another scan until 12 weeks and do not get to see our midwife for another 3 weeks, so would really like any insight/advice that anyone could give us...

Many thanks,

Jamie

Hi Jaimie,

I was'nt aware of my condition until I had my daughter. I am amazed it wasnt discovered!
I too was very sick for the first 13 weeks of my pregnancy but it eased after that.
I can only speak from my experience but my daughter was born strong and healthy.
She was quite small, which I think may of been due to her space restriction in the uterus.
She was delivered through c section because she was breech, which I think is common with the condition. Some doctors like to try to 'turn' the baby before birth so they can be delivered naturally. My dr advised stongly against this (even before we discovered the uterus shape). It can be dangerous to both mother and baby.
My pregnancy was quite uncomfortable because my daughter grew in the right horn.
It is very confusing and scary but take each day as it comes and think positive.
Best of luck to you both.

Hi all.

I was diagnosed with a 'Bicornuate Uterus' when I found out I was 5 weeks 5 days pregnant with my first child. The baby was growing in the left 'cornu'. My pregnancy was considered 'high-risk' but everything was normal :) I got told of all the risks, but I didn't let that get to me.
I bled at 6 weeks, then again at 11 and a half weeks, yet everything was fine. At my 19 week scan I found out I was having a girl, Lydia Grace, and again, everything was fine, she was growing normally and everything, she was also head down.
A month had past and I was nearly 6 months, I couldn't believe it. Then the night I was 23 weeks and a day pregnant, I went into premature labour. I gave birth naturally, to the most precious little soul, Lydia Grace on the 10th of January 2009 weighing in at 580 grams (1lb 4oz) and measuring 30.9 cms.

She was very early, and it was very unexpected. But she's a healthy 9 month old now :) But I've heard apparently if your first child is prem, all your children are going to be prem... Also, generally women with a bicornuate uterus have only one kidney? Well, that's what I heard from my doctor and I only have one kidney..

I wish everyone all the best with their pregnancies. Thanks for reading x

shockzworth I am so pleased to here your daughter Lydia Grace is going so well after her early arrival.
I work as a midwife and the women I have seen with a Bicornuate Uterus have also only had one kidney. There are different types of Bicornuate Uterus's as I am sure you would know and some the septum the divides the two parts can stretch out of the way as the pregnancy progresses. I have also seen the Dr take the septum out (not always possible and rarely neccessary) when multiple late m/c has occured.

Hi everyone.

First of all can I say that I am saddened to hear of so many losses and my heart goes out to all of you. I hope my story can bring some hope, that there is the possibility of a fairly normal, healthy pregnancy and a happy ending.

I too have a Bicornuate Uterus which was discovered during the C/S of my son a 38wks. He turned footling breech at 36wks and had his cord wrapped around him 3 times, so we were booked in for an elective C/S. My pregnancy was fairly normal, I had excessive fluid (which was what the doctor first thought had caused the breech) and some discomfort from around 30wks due to DS being on the right side and pushing firmly against my ribs whenever I sat down. During the C/S my OB had trouble pulling DS out through the incision and he got his head got stuck - the incision was too low for a BU. This resulted in DS ingesting some fluid and ending up with wet lungs and on a C-PAP machine in NNICU for 5 days. My OB and the Paed also think I have a longer gestation period than normal, and this also contributed to the wet lungs. DS is now a healthy 22mth old.

I am now 22wks pregnant with bub no. 2 . This pregnancy has been normal so far, so I am crossing my fingers that it continues this way. This baby is also on the right side and the hope is that DS may have stretched it a little so that bubs has a little more room! This time I will be going full term to 40wks unless I go into labour. I am hoping for a VBAC if all is going well, but will happily have another C/S if necessary.

I had no trouble getting pregnant, it took about 6mths of trying but that is pretty normal.

My OB didn't really give me alot of information when I saw him at our 6 wk check up. I did my own research but never really worried too much because I had already had a successful birth. The above information has really opened my eyes to just how lucky I have been.

I am also really interested in the information that woman with BU can have only one kidney. This is a bit of a worry as we have a history of kidney problems in the family. I will be talking to my dr about that!!

I wish everyone the best of luck in getting pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy.

Lou.

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories, and best wishes to everyone X
It's amazing what people are going through to have healthy happy babies, and sad that people have to go through such sad losses too.
I lost my baby at only 8wks gestation and was and is hard enough to carry on, but what others have gone through I can only say that you are all such strong people, and I look up to you all X