Imagine giving birth to a child, and then nearly a month after giving birth once again?
For 20-year old Arifa Sultana from Bangladesh, this became a reality after her double pregnancy wasn’t discovered on an ultrasound. In late February she gave birth to a baby boy and had a normal delivery. She was released from the hospital but was readmitted to the Ad-Din Hospital only 26 days after. Her doctor Poddar said she came to the hospital with lower abdominal pain, he gave her an ultrasound an discovered that she was pregnant with twins. It turned out that she had not one, but two functioning uteruses, which made it possible for her to have two different pregnancies going on at the same time. Her first baby and the twins were conceived roughly a month apart and then developed in two separate wombs.
Having two uteruses is not very common, and only happens to one in a million according to the National Institutes of Health. The condition which is called “Uterus Didelphys” happens whenever the uterus develops. An normal uterus starts as two tubes and then fusion together to one, but in some cases, the fusion never happens, and the wall between doesn’t dissolve. Most times it will be discovered before the pregnancy or the birth but in many rural areas, the technology or resources are not advanced enough to provide the needed help.
Women can live a completely normal life without any complications or even know about even if she does have kids. In some cases, she might also have a double vagina, which can cause her to have periods twice a month instead. Uterus Didelphys has no symptoms but is associated with miscarriage and premature birth.
Once admitted to the hospital for the second time, Doctor Poddar quickly performed a C-section to deliver the twins. Luckily for Sultana, all kids and herself came through this wild experience healthy and safe.
Sources
Gupta, Swati, and Anshula Raj. “Woman with Two Wombs Gives Birth Twice, Nearly a Month Apart.” CNN, Cable News Network, 28 Mar. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/03/28/health/woman-delivers-twins-26-days-after-first-delivery-intl/index.html.
Silverman, Sam. “Woman With Two Uteruses Gives Birth Twice in One Month. How Is That Possible? .” Health.com, 1 Apr. 2019, www.health.com/pregnancy/woman-with-two-uteruses.