Mum with rare double uterus expecting two babies in one in a million pregnancy

13 November 2023 , 17:04

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Woman with rare double uterus became pregnant in both (Image: WVTM)

A woman with a very rare condition that means she has a double uterus has fallen pregnant with twins - a girl in each one, due on Christmas day.

Kelsey Hatcher, from Alabama, and her husband Caleb already have three children, aged seven, four, and two. When Kelsey found out in the spring she was pregnant again, her obstetrician was shocked.

Recalling the moment she told her husband the news, Kelsey said: "I said, 'Well, there's two of them in there.' And [my husband] said, 'You're lying.' I said, 'No, I'm not'."

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Kelsey Hatcher has a rare double uterus and became pregnant in both (WVTM)

Kelsey was already aware that she had two uteri, each one with its own cervix. While women with a double uterus often have successful pregnancies, they are considered high-risk with more chances of a miscarriage or premature birth.

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According to the Mayo Clinic, a double uterus is a "rare condition" that happens when a female foetus develops. Sometimes, the two small tubes that form the uterus don't join completely to create one large organ.

Kelsey Hatcher was astonished to be carrying two babies (WVTM)

Alabama Doctor Shweta Patel, who specialises in obstetrics and gynaecology, described the case as "Very, very rare". Adding: "OB/GYNs go their whole careers without seeing anything like this."

Dr Richard Davis, a University of Alabama at Birmingham professor in obstetrics and gynaecology who has studied high-risk pregnancies, explained just how rare Kelsey's condition is. He said: "A double cervix, or double uteruses way under one per cent, maybe three per 1,000 women might have that. And the probability of you having a twin in each horn is really crazy."

While the girls are due to be Christmas babies, Kelsey's uteri could contract at different times, meaning she could give birth to each daughter hours or even days apart. Dr Davis noted: "When she goes into labour, if she does, then we will have to monitor each uterus and see which one's contracting and if they're doing sort of almost the same or they're different."

Kelsey's pregnancy is so rare that doctors don't know whether to characterise the dual pregnancies as twins, especially as each baby has its own placenta. Dr Patel said: "I think medically, this is such a rare thing that we don't have a better way of describing it besides still calling them twins."

Meanwhile, Kelsey is looking forward to welcoming both of her daughters, though said they will be her last children, while also being conscious of the fact she could be a case study. She reasoned: "I'm typically one that likes a lot of attention and doesn't want people to be talking about my stuff. and so, to be this rare and kind of out there, I'm like, oh my gosh, there's a lot."

Right now, her focus is more on being a mum to five children all under the age of eight. She said: "The third one was our last one. But though, we're grateful for the blessings for sure. But this will definitely be the end."

Graeme Murray