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Woman with double uterus gets pregnant in both: 'Very, very rare'

By Yoniel Acebuche Published Nov 12, 2023 1:11 pm

Double blessings!

In a rare instance, a woman with double uterus is expecting a baby in both—and the best part is they are due later this year on Christmas Day.

Citing local media outlet WVTM 13, PEOPLE Magazine reported that Kelsey Hatcher—who was also born with two cervixes—and her husband Caleb learned that she was pregnant in the spring, when Kelsey was told that she was carrying a baby in each of her two functional uteri during her first ultrasound appointment.

“I said, 'Well, there's two of them in there.' And [my husband] said, 'You're lying.' I said, 'No, I’m not,' " Kelsey told WVTM 13. Currently, they have three children, aged 7, 4, and 2.

According to Mayo Clinic, a double uterus is a rare condition that is "present at birth" in some women. It happens when the two small tubes "don't join completely" and "each one develops into a separate organ." 

"Women who have a double uterus often have successful pregnancies," the health information website noted. "But the condition can make you more likely to have a miscarriage or premature birth."

According to obstetrician-gynecologist Shweta Patel, Kelsey's situation is "very, very rare."

"Yes. OB/GYNs go their whole careers without seeing anything like this," she told WVTM 13.

Since it's a rare condition, Dr. Richard Davis—who specializes in high-risk pregnancies—also considers Kelsey's condition high-risk. 

“A double cervix or double uteruses way under 1%, maybe three per 1,000 women might have that. And then the probability of you having a twin in each horn is really crazy," he said in an interview with WVTM 13.

Davis also noted that Kelsey must be monitored on a regular basis to know when she and her husband will welcome their kids into the world.

“So when she goes into labor, 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," he said.

Patel, for her part, highlighted that whether they are twins or simply siblings is still unclear as each uterus could start contractions at different times. The sisters could then be born hours, days, or weeks apart.

“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," she said.