Lying on the operating table after a planned C-section, Niki Jensen was told by doctors that they had found something incredibly rare.
Instantly, the 29-year-old business owner went into panic mode, as she feared something was wrong with her newborn daughter, Ariella. However, the doctors revealed the discovery was in fact about the first-time mom from Arizona.
"He said 'We have some big news for you' then explained I have two uteruses and two cervixes and I can get pregnant in both as I also have two sets of ovaries and fallopian tubes," she told Newsweek.
Medics were astounded that the double reproductive tract organs, resulting from a condition called uterus didelphys, had been missed during her pregnancy ultrasounds—and Jensen was left shell-shocked.
I had never even heard of the condition before," she said. "Doctors explained that my other uterus was probably pushed out of the way while I was carrying Ariella.
Uterus didelphys only affects 0.3 percent of women, according to The Cleveland Clinic, and some women with the condition may have two vaginal canals as well.
Newsweek reached out to Dr. Serin Seckin, a fertility specialist based in New York to learn more.
She said: "This condition is when a uterus has two completely separate cavities, with each one having its own cervix."
Jensen was told that women with the condition usually struggle to conceive and there's a higher chance of miscarriages.
She told Newsweek: "I have always dreamed of becoming a mom, and I got pregnant the first time my husband Austin and I started trying. Unfortunately I had a miscarriage and then waited another month before getting pregnant again with Ari.
The pregnancy was normal. I had symptoms like morning sickness but it was a good pregnancy, I was with my midwife team until 36 weeks pregnant, then Ariella breeched."
Ariella, now five months old, was lying with her feet first in the womb instead of in the usual head-first position. Most babies usually turn their heads around naturally but Ariella didn't despite Jensen's efforts.
She told Newsweek: "I tried to do everything naturally for her to flip back but nothing worked so the only way I could deliver was by a caesarean."
At 39 weeks, Jensen gave birth by C-section and doctors later explained that Ariella was most likely breech as she didn't have enough room because of her mother's rare condition.
"The doctor had only seen this condition a couple of times in his whole career. The medical staff were saying Ariella is a miracle baby and they were amazed that I had managed to go full term," she said.
"I think it was a blessing in disguise that I didn't know, as I am a little nervous now that I know of the risks linked to pregnancy," she explained. "I would definitely love another baby but it's scary knowing that I run a high risk of miscarriages or even a premature baby
Jensen has also been made aware that it is possible to fall pregnant with a fetus in each uterus at the same time
Seckin, who works at an IVF clinic called Generation Next Fertility, told Newsweek that the unique condition does not usually cause infertility
She explained: "The live birth rates and pregnancy rates are very similar to a uterus without this condition, although there is a slightly higher miscarriage rate."
Seckin told Newsweek that she has also come across a uterine anomaly while performing a C-section but most women find out through imaging.
What are the symptoms of uterus didelphys?
Growing up Jensen had severe period pains and but she believed "it was normal."
She told Newsweek: "I would be in so much pain and just thought that was how it is. Sometimes, I would stay home from school in wrenching pain but I didn't know it was abnormal."
Heavy periods can be a tell-tale sign of uterine didelphys, according to Seckin.
If someone first starts their menstrual period and they experience severe pain upon evaluation, this may point toward a uterine anomaly like uterine didelphys," she said. "Sometimes, however, there may not be any symptoms at all until someone looks."
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the following symptoms may indicate uterus didelphys:
Instantly, the 29-year-old business owner went into panic mode, as she feared something was wrong with her newborn daughter, Ariella. However, the doctors revealed the discovery was in fact about the first-time mom from Arizona.
"He said 'We have some big news for you' then explained I have two uteruses and two cervixes and I can get pregnant in both as I also have two sets of ovaries and fallopian tubes," she told Newsweek.
Medics were astounded that the double reproductive tract organs, resulting from a condition called uterus didelphys, had been missed during her pregnancy ultrasounds—and Jensen was left shell-shocked.
I had never even heard of the condition before," she said. "Doctors explained that my other uterus was probably pushed out of the way while I was carrying Ariella.
Uterus didelphys only affects 0.3 percent of women, according to The Cleveland Clinic, and some women with the condition may have two vaginal canals as well.
Newsweek reached out to Dr. Serin Seckin, a fertility specialist based in New York to learn more.
She said: "This condition is when a uterus has two completely separate cavities, with each one having its own cervix."
Jensen was told that women with the condition usually struggle to conceive and there's a higher chance of miscarriages.
She told Newsweek: "I have always dreamed of becoming a mom, and I got pregnant the first time my husband Austin and I started trying. Unfortunately I had a miscarriage and then waited another month before getting pregnant again with Ari.
The pregnancy was normal. I had symptoms like morning sickness but it was a good pregnancy, I was with my midwife team until 36 weeks pregnant, then Ariella breeched."
Ariella, now five months old, was lying with her feet first in the womb instead of in the usual head-first position. Most babies usually turn their heads around naturally but Ariella didn't despite Jensen's efforts.
She told Newsweek: "I tried to do everything naturally for her to flip back but nothing worked so the only way I could deliver was by a caesarean."
At 39 weeks, Jensen gave birth by C-section and doctors later explained that Ariella was most likely breech as she didn't have enough room because of her mother's rare condition.
"The doctor had only seen this condition a couple of times in his whole career. The medical staff were saying Ariella is a miracle baby and they were amazed that I had managed to go full term," she said.
"I think it was a blessing in disguise that I didn't know, as I am a little nervous now that I know of the risks linked to pregnancy," she explained. "I would definitely love another baby but it's scary knowing that I run a high risk of miscarriages or even a premature baby
Jensen has also been made aware that it is possible to fall pregnant with a fetus in each uterus at the same time
Seckin, who works at an IVF clinic called Generation Next Fertility, told Newsweek that the unique condition does not usually cause infertility
She explained: "The live birth rates and pregnancy rates are very similar to a uterus without this condition, although there is a slightly higher miscarriage rate."
Seckin told Newsweek that she has also come across a uterine anomaly while performing a C-section but most women find out through imaging.
What are the symptoms of uterus didelphys?
Growing up Jensen had severe period pains and but she believed "it was normal."
She told Newsweek: "I would be in so much pain and just thought that was how it is. Sometimes, I would stay home from school in wrenching pain but I didn't know it was abnormal."
Heavy periods can be a tell-tale sign of uterine didelphys, according to Seckin.
If someone first starts their menstrual period and they experience severe pain upon evaluation, this may point toward a uterine anomaly like uterine didelphys," she said. "Sometimes, however, there may not be any symptoms at all until someone looks."
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the following symptoms may indicate uterus didelphys:
- Pain during sex.
- Painful cramping before and during your period.
- Heavy bleeding during your period.
- Leaking blood when using a tampon (tampon is only in one uterus and not the other).
- Frequent miscarriages.
- Preterm labor.
