Mum pregnant with twins in separate wombs might go through labour twice
By Livia Gamble
A UK mum recently found out she’s pregnant with twins. Incredibly, these twins are growing in separate wombs, and doctors say she could go through labour twice.
At her 12-week scan, Kelly Fairhurst learned she had two wombs and was carrying a baby in each – a condition known as uterus didelphys.
One in a 50 million chance
“The twins could be identical. The condition itself is quite rare, but they went on to tell me that it was a one in a 50 million chance for me to conceive twins in each womb,” Kelly told The Sun.
Kelly and her boyfriend Joshua Boundy, 34, have two daughters together, Agyness, four, and Margot, three – who were both born prematurely.
“With my second baby, they said that I might have a bicornuate uterus, which means it’s not fully formed,” says Kelly.
“So when I went for this scan, I was really surprised to learn that I have two of them!
“I just thought, ‘God, that’s a shock’. It makes you feel incredibly grateful that this has happened to you, and you get to have two amazing babies.”
“Twins in two separate wombs!”
Although multiples run in her family, Kelly said she didn’t expect it to happen to her.
“I especially never thought I’d have identical twins in two separate wombs!”
Because of how her previous births went, doctors say they’re worried Kelly will go into labour early, or that she will have to go through labour twice.
“The plan is to have them both by c-section, but my last two births have been so quick there’s a risk that might not be possible,” explains Kelly.
“In all honesty, the whole thing is pretty crazy.”
Crazy, but incredible!
What is uterus didelphys
So what is uterus didelphys, exactly?
Uterus didelphys is a rare condition where a woman has a double uterus. According to the Mayo Clinic, when a female fetus begins to form, the uterus starts as two small tubes, which later join to create one larger uterus.
“Sometimes, however, the tubes don’t join completely. Instead, each one develops into a separate structure,” the website says.
“A double uterus may have one opening (cervix) into one vagina, or each uterine cavity may have a cervix. In many cases, a thin wall of tissue runs down the length of the vagina, dividing it into two separate openings.”
Doctors aren’t sure why this happens, and there aren’t usually any symptoms either.
And just like Kelly, many women who have a double uterus go on to have successful pregnancies too.
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