Bicornate/subseptate uterus

Hi - I have just joined this website, so hopefully I am in the right section.. I am 31 weeks pregnant with my first child and have a bicornate/subseptate uterus which was noticed in my 12 week nuchal scan. I have been told since this day that I will most likely (99%) have a c-section delivery. Last week, I have been told that because the baby's head is down, there is no reason why I couldn't deliver my child naturally/vaginally.

We have been on red alert since 25 weeks since there is a higher probablility of pre-term delivery with my funny uterus and have been lucky to get this far. I guess I am just confused as to what to expect from here after so long expecting surgery.

Does anyone out there have a similar uterus shape and have you successfully delivered naturally/surgically and at what stage of your pregnancy?

Christine - Brisbane

I myself do not have a bicornate/subseptate uterus, but my mother does. She also had an incompetant cervix and her uterus was tilted back I believe. Of 9 pregnancies she had 5 children. All 5 children were born early, usually about a month or so. I was born 14weeks early at home with only my mother and father to deliver me. We were all born naturally/vaginally. The only problem she had was due to the incompetant cervix and the stitches they put in. She has never said anything was affected by her bicornate/subseptate uterus.
I know that probably didn't help you at all.. Sorry.

Hi Christine,

welcome to BB. sorry i cant help you at all with your querie. i hope someone has some advice for you,

Linda

Hi Christine. Hope you get some more feedback about this. Great to hear all's looking good for a natural birth for you.

Melinda that's interesting about your mum. My Mum & I both have a retroverted (tilted) uterus apparently, though not anything else. It seemingly has no effect on anything, once there's a baby in there it just tips over the other way, lol.

Christine there's a new member called Lynette in the due in Sept thread who mentioned something about the shape of her uterus, so I told her to have a look here.

Hi Christine, Congratulations on your pregnancy.

Have hesitated in replying - 'cause was hoping you'd get lots of differing replies from other mums to balance out my one. My uterus is an unusual shape as well. I was originally told (after an early ultrasound in pregnancy) that I had a bicornuate uterus, but during my caesarean my Ob told me it's actually a subseptate uterus.

At the time of being diagnosed with the bicornuate uterus (at 5 wks pregnant) my Ob said it most likely wouldn't cause me any problems - but to mentally prepare myself in case I needed to have a caesarean if the baby wasn't in the usual presentation. He said that it was by no means a foregone conclusion and that most people with subseptate/bicornuate uteruses have completely normal pregnancies and deliveries. He said that many don't even know they have a bicornuate/subseptate uterus until something goes wrong and a caesarean is performed.

I've only had one pregnancy so far and it has resulted in a gorgeous little boy. My baby was due in October this year but was born prematurely on 22 July. We're not quite sure whether the complications in this pregnancy were due to the shape of my uterus or just being a little unlucky, but my pregnancy was far from text book. I bled really heavily from week 5 of the pregnancy constantly until about week 21. At week 19 I sprung a little leak in the amniotic sac and started leaking (or should I say trickling) amnio fluid. I was placed on total bed/couch rest from this time in an effort to avoid the trickle becomming a total rupture. At week 24 I completely ruptured my amniotic sac and started to go into labour. Fortunately the contractions went away and I held off going into labour until week 29. Was hospitalised from the time my sac ruptured and ordered on even more strict bed rest (with limited toilet privileges only). At 29wks and 3 days I went back into labour but the contractions were distressing our baby so an emergency caesarean was performed. So far our little boy is putting in a huge fight and hanging in there cared for in an incubator with ventilation in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit.

My placenta fell apart when my Ob was trying to remove it and much of it was not functioning as a placenta. A lot of it was just fibrous mass. My Ob said part of the placenta had grown over the septum (the middle part of the heart shape) which isn't comprised of the usual uterine tissue and blood vessels - and that is most likely why it didn't function as proper placenta tissue. Our baby suffered growth restriction - due to not receiving optimal nutrition from the placenta. He weighed just 1010g (2pounds2ounces) at birth - rather than about 1400g which is usual for his gestational age. I am led to believe that if the pregnancy had implanted in a different part of my uterus things would have gone a bit differently.

Recovery from my caesarean has been really good. Of course I'd have preferred a full term vag birth - but at the end of the day it's a healthy baby that was my real preference. Now that I'm coming out the other side of the caesar, I can honestly say it was not big deal for me. My wound is healing really well and I am feeling pretty good.

Hope this information doesn't scare you. I am pleased to see you have had a pretty good pregnancy so far. Your baby must be due around the same time mine was - 'cause I'd have been 31 weeks pregnant now if I hadn't gone into labour early. Wishing you all the best with the pregnancy and a beautiful happy bouncing baby in October.

Hi Christine

At my first OB appointment at 10 weeks I was diagnosed as having a bicornate uterus, I carried Matthew to 41 weeks with no problems only problem I had was getting him out, he was a large baby with a big 'crash helemt' head and I had a small pelvis so he was born via c/s.

My c/s was nothing to do with the shape of my uterus and my OB never mentioned at any stage that I`d need a c/s because of my uterus, if I had a small baby I would have been deliverying naturally.

Thanks heaps for your replies.

Kirsty - thank you for being so honest in your experiences with your little miracle. You must be a very strong woman with a wonderful support network around you to get through such a harrowing experience. The things you have described are similar to the warnings my ob has given me from the start which frightened me into wrapping myself in cotton wool - well, not that bad, but taking it extra carefully. At my ob appointment this week, my bp was up which meant more bloods, more pee and more visits to the hospital for checking. It seems to have settled for the time being - wait and see what Monday's appt brings.
I wish you and your little Gus all the best in the world - keep in touch and take care..

Deejoy - thanks for filling me in on your experience. Funny how different doctors can indicate totally different outcomes - I have been pretty much guaranteed c-section delivery because of my uterus and yours never mentioned anything! oh well, I guess that is what these websites are for!
cheers,

Smiles :D
Christine
Smiles
Christine

Hi,
I am 16weeks pregnant and just found out that i have a subseptate uterus and this is my second pregnancy. I found out my daughter was breech at 37 weeks and i had a c-section 2 weeks later. (I did not go into labour i was booked in for a c-section because of her position and i did not wish to turn her).

So i think every person is different and so is every pregnancy. Lets hope this pregnancy goes as well as my last.

Good luck with everything.

Kristy21.

Hi everyone, I have just been informed that I have a subseptate uterus and cannot find very much infomation on the net.Has anyone had this & had healthy pregnancies? I am 7weeks and since finding this out I am now terrified I will lose my much longed for baby.
Please can I have some advice I'm so scared!!!!!!
Thanks in advance :)

http://bd.lilypie.com/mAApp10/.png


PS.....................
Stop reading my post if you aren't going to reply I NEED ADVICE!!!!!!
the doctor wont tell me nothing, other then stating the bleeding obvious, other pregnant people wont.... Im losing my mind here
Am I honestly the only person in the world to have this condition ??????? It seems that way.
I NEED SOME HELP

I had a subseptate uterus that was surgically repaired due to recurrent miscarriages. We don't believe this was the cause as it was so small but I covered all bases. I still have an alterered uterine shape (a little flatter at the top) but there is no internal membrane.

The potential complications depends on the size and location of the septum and the implantation site of the embryo. There may be issues with miscarriage, growth retardation and breech / transverse positions but this (again) depends on the size and location. Many women have this anomaly with no complication at all.

How was it identified?? Who told you about it?? Your specialist should be able to answer your questions and give you an indication of its size and the potential complications for your situation.

Check out the thread here: Bicornate/subseptate uterus - BellyBelly Forums ~ Pregnancy, Birth & Baby

Will merge both threads...

I was diagnosed as having a bicornate uterus at 5wks after being taken to hospital with severe cramping and fainting. I saw an Ob a few weeks later who did another scan at 10 weeks, I was told the worst of what COULD hapen and stressed so much. I carried to 39wks and ended up having an emergency C (not because of my uterus) But it wasn't until my second baby during my C section that my Ob said he couldn't find any evidence of a bicornate uterus. I guess what I'm saying is they tend to give you the worst case senario but it doesn't mean that's what will happen and it can be so stressing I know :hug:

Hello every one.

I have had a great help from this group. I had lost all my hopes of having a baby until I joined this web site. From reading other?s experiences I have come to know that there are women who are going through the same or may be more difficult experiences than I had.
As I have written previously about my self, I have a sub-septate bi-cornuate uterus and had 4 miss-carriages:(. My doctors are investigating the problem . My pregnancy does not last for more than 3 weeks. It?s such an early loss that it cannot be due to the septum.
Please if any one out there has any idea or had any such experiences, please guide me as I need all the help I can get.
My doctor has suggested surgery and removal of the septum as a last option but if there is any thing other than this, please guide me.

Best regards,

Madiha

Hi!

I was previously diagnose with PCOS last January of 2009 and was asked by my OBGYNE to take metformin for quite sometimes after which i never had my period for 5 mos. Thinking it didnt work i switch OBs .... i informed her of my previous condition and was worried about me not having period for 5 mos. She then advice me to take provera so ill menstruation it took it for 10 days and luckily my period came. I go back to her since she asked me to see her on my 2nd day of menstruation. I then was asked to take clomid for 5 days and have a TVS since my husband and is trying to have a baby she even counted the days when shoud we "do" it. I had my transvaginal ultrasound yesterday and the impression goes like this......Consider subseptate uterus, secretory endometrium as described, normal ovaries (no longer PCOS ), suggest 3D scan to further evaluate the uterine corpus...... I have a subseptate uterus?... how and when did i have it?... I didnt have it when i had my first transvi....can somebody help me in understanding the impression.... thanks

Hi!

I was previously diagnose with PCOS last January of 2009 and was asked by my OBGYNE to take metformin for quite sometimes after which i never had miy period for 5 mos. Thinking it didnt work i switch OBs .... i informed her of my previous condition and was worried about me not having period for 5 mos. She then advice me to take provera so ill have menstruation i took it for 10 days and luckily my period came. I go back to her since she asked me to see her on my 2nd day of menstruation. I then was asked to take clomid for 5 days and have a TVS since my husband and i was trying to have a baby she even counted the days when shoud we "do" it. I had my transvaginal ultrasound yesterday and the impression goes like this......Consider subseptate uterus, secretory endometrium as described, normal ovaries (no longer PCOS ), suggest 3D scan to further evaluate the uterine corpus...... I have a subseptate uterus?... how and when did i have it?... I didnt have it when i had my first transvi....can somebody help me in understanding the impression.... thanks