All You Need To Know About Bicornuate Uterus

A bicornuate uterus is a congenital issue where the uterus of a woman doesn’t develop properly. A bicornuate uterus is heart-shaped. A woman’s fertility often doesn’t get affected, however, the chances of miscarriages and stillbirths increase. Many women with a bicornuate uterus don’t even know about it throughout their lifetime.

Causes

A bicornuate uterus is a congenital condition. The special ducts of the uterus partially fuse together and the uterus doesn’t develop fully. Due to the fused ducts, the two upper parts separate and resemble a horn-like structure. Due to these horns sticking out the uterus starts resembling the shape of a heart. This condition cannot be prevented.

Symptoms of Bicornuate Uterus

The bicornuate uterus often does not have any unusual noticeable symptoms. Many women often do not come to know about their unique uterus in their entire life unless they do imaging or ultrasonography of the uterus. However, some women who have bicornuate uterus may complain of the following symptoms:

• Painful menstruation

• Unusual vaginal bleeding

• Pain during intercourse

• Abdominal pain

• Recurrent miscarriages

Diagnosis

Doctors use the following tests to diagnose the bicornuate uterus:

• Pelvic examination

• Hysterosalpingogram ( a special type of X-ray that uses dyed liquids that enables the doctor to see the shape of the uterus and fallopian tubes)

• MRI scan

• Ultrasonography

Most women get diagnosed for the first time during their pregnancy or while doing some test of their uterus. A significant number of women stay unaware of their condition.

Pregnancy and Bicornuate Uterus

The bicornuate uterus doesn’t affect the fertility of a woman. However, an older study suggests that bicornuate uterus is more common among infertile women. A bicornuate uterus doesn’t cause infertility; however, it raises the chances of miscarriages, premature births, and stillbirths. This happens due to reduced or contracted uterine capabilities. Babies born from a mother who has a bicornuate uterus have a higher chance of getting birth defects.

The pregnancy of a woman with a bicornuate uterus is treated as a high-risk pregnancy, and is monitored more frequently than a normal pregnancy. Doctors may perform frequent ultrasounds to determine the position of the fetus. It has been observed that babies often settle for a breech position in a bicornuate uterus. Most doctors do not want to take a risk and perform C-section for delivery.

Women who have a bicornuate uterus also have cervical insufficiency. This means that their cervix is soft and is unlike normal uterus, where the cervix stays firmly closed during pregnancy and softens only during labor. In case of cervical insufficiency, the cervix is not able to stay closed and opens up prematurely causing miscarriages or premature delivery.

Treatment

The bicornuate uterus doesn’t need any treatment unless it starts affecting pregnancies. Most women who get pregnant are monitored closely. Their pregnancy is termed high risk and extra caution is taken by doctors to help the fetus reach full term. Most deliveries are done through C-section. A bicornuate uterus is related to cervical weakness, and doctors use a preventive treatment called cervical cerclage where the cervix is stitched with sutures. Those who suffer repeated miscarriages may be advised a surgery called Strassman metroplasty to correct the condition. This surgery improves the chances of a successful pregnancy by 88%. However, there are disputes regarding this treatment and often doctors avoid it.

If you are one of those with bicornuate uterus, visit the doctor, and take good care of yourself. And while you take care of yourself don’t forget to choose the benefits of blood banking to safeguard your baby’s health and your family’s healthy future.