does anyone know what this is??

Question

bicornuate uterus i was just wondering if anyone knew what this was? (i only know about it because i have one i never heard of one before i had my miscarages) I belive it should be more publisiced. we all know about uterin cancer and many other reasons for ifertility and having multiple miscarages. I just think this is something that should be more well known. Also i think that a OB should check for this problem when a woman has a miscarage just in case. why don't they?

It is a birth defect where the uterus does not form as it should. Instead of one whole uterus, there are usually two separate ‘horns’ that form the top of the uterus. If a fertilized egg implants in one of the horns, that pregnancy usually is not viable as the horns do have the normal uterine tissue to support a pregnancy, nor the space for a baby to grow. A bicornuate uterus can be associated with miscarriage, preterm delivery, fetal growth retardation, and an abnormal fetal presentation (breech or transverse), and sometimes various birth defects of the baby. A bicornuate uterus can be diagnosed by a combination of several techniques: ultrasound, MRI, HSG, hysteroscopy, or laparascopy.

Normally babies turn head down towards the end of pregnancy. However, with a bicornuate uterus, the baby may fit better with the head up so there's a higher incidence of breech positions. But the baby may also turn head down, it depends on the shape of the uterus and the baby's size. It's not true that every woman with a bicornuate uterus will carry a breech baby, and not every pregnancy a woman has will be breech. Pregnancies in women with a bicornuate uterus have a 55 -63% fetal survival rate with a 15 -25% rate of preterm delivery. If a woman is known to have a bicornuate uterus, her pregnancies will most likely be considered high-risk from what I’m told.

Answer 1

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/547348?rss

I'm so sorry and I completely agree with you why don't Dr.'s test for that?

I'm sorry for your loss. I have had one recently as well. Although I wasn't far along I still think about my maby baby every day. I would have been due this past Jan.

My best to you,
Aloha

Answer 2

I have a bicornate (sp?) uterus. Mine is shaped like a heart, it has one cervix and as it nears the top it has two separate top parts. I did not know I had one until I had my daughter and the placenta showed the heart shape of my uterus. The one side had the baby in it and the other had amniotic fluid. I looked like I was going to have twins, really big. I don't think it is any thing to be scared of........Wow, Gypsy, thanks for the extra info. I guess it is something to be concerned about. I had a previous miscarriage prior to having a full term pregnancy with no problems. Hope this happens for you.

Answer 3

because it isnt very common.

Answer 4

thanks for bringing this up, anyone who don't know should google to find out