Kelsey Hatcher, a 32-year-old expecting baby girls, was not diagnosed with the rare anomaly uterus didelphys until last spring

Kelsey Hatcher, a 32-year-old mom of three was born with a rare uterine anomaly called uterus didelphys, or two uteruses. However, she was not diagnosed with the condition until last spring, when she discovered she was pregnant – in each uterus.

Hatcher said her husband almost didn’t believe her.

“He said: ‘You’re lying,’ I said: ‘No, I’m not,” Hatcher told NBC News.

Uterus didelphys affects about 0.3% of women. The abnormality forms in the female embryo very early in development, around eight weeks gestation, according to fertility researchers.

  • Horsey@kbin.social
    271·
    11 months ago

    A natural birth consists of a bunch of hormonal changes that initiate the process (similar to a medically induced abortion); I’d be super surprised if the younger fetus doesn’t abort when the older one is birthed on time.

    • bstix@feddit.dkEnglish
      8·
      11 months ago

      I was going to ask if other animals were capable of multiple simultaneous pregnancies, but then I figured I should probably just google it.

      Interestingly I found that it has indeed happened to humans, but it confirms your idea, because in the latest documented example, the children were born at the same time.

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superfetation

      • Horsey@kbin.social
        23·
        11 months ago

        All mammals that give birth in litters have one large and “lumpy/compartmentalized” uterus. Opossums (not mammals) for example have a forked reproductive tract which forks in the vaginal canal with two distinct “halves” leading to a different uterine compartment. I don’t think there’s any animal with two completely separate uteruses; please correct me if there is one though 😛

        • idiomaddict@feddit.de
          11·
          11 months ago

          Opossums are mammals, just not placental mammals. Marsupials are in the class of mammals, and kangaroos have two separate uteruses

          • seth@lemmy.world
            3·
            11 months ago

            True, and let’s also not leave out our fellow eggy mammals, the magnificent monotremes!

    • Perhyte@lemmy.worldEnglish
      21·
      11 months ago

      That does not necessarily preclude the younger child’s survival after delivering the older child via C-section though. Presumably if the aim was survival of both fetuses that would be the route taken?

      I’d be more curious how that second pregnancy even happened though. AFAIK a natural conception isn’t usually possible during pregnancy because no eggs are released. It might be possible via IVF or something, but who would you take that risk?