While some couples enjoy a surprise pregnancy, we were not one of those couples. Planners to a fault, we tracked my cycle, went to a gynecologist, and worked out the best time in our careers to conceive. So, when the pregnancy test result was positive, we had only really been trying for two cycles. We were delighted – everything was on schedule. Five weeks into the pregnancy (yes, we found out VERY early) we made our way to the gynecologist who was as delighted as we were – but she didn’t think a scan before seven weeks would make sense as they would hardly be able to see the flicker of the heartbeat on the screen.
Our eighth week of pregnancy could not come soon enough as from week six I had begun to experience some spotting and blood discharge. Due to the unforeseen Covid- 19 crisis and lockdown, our doctor did not see a point in rushing to the hospital as bed rest was the first and foremost cure if the baby could be saved. Here in began my months of worry and stress.
At the eighth-week ultrasound, accompanied by my mom, I saw the flickering of the beginning of a heartbeat. My mom choked up, I felt a sense of relief wash over me – it was merely implantation bleeding, or so I thought. Then this Radiologist casually mentioned – I had a ‘dip in my uterus’. No big deal. His nonchalance was such a contrast to his words, ‘There is a small dip, so the uterus does not have two chambers, but this could mean a high chance of a late miscarriage or preterm labor.’ I had been born with this condition apparently. There went my momentary sense of relief.
I was so confused. I was one of those women who had gotten yearly gynecological exams (ultrasounds) since I was 15 due to my family history of fibroids.
Why had I never been told during my prior hospital visits in Kathmandu of the ‘dip in my uterus’. Was there a preemptive cure for this ‘heart shaped’ uterus? Apparently, yes. A surgical procedure.
Now my case is extremely mild – as the pregnancy progressed, it resolved itself (or at least did not give any real trouble to the baby). However, what if the pregnancy had ended due to this condition? Why aren’t patients given information during routine visits? Given the agency to decide to preemptively treat a condition such as this. On a number of websites I researched in my frantic attempt to understand my condition, Healthline outlined that there was an 88% success rate for the surgery (according to international data), a relatively noninvasive one at that. (Click here for the link to the article by Healthline: What Is a Bicornuate Uterus and How Does It Affect Fertility?) This procedure is uncommon, as many cases such as mine go on to have successful pregnancies. *Note: It is important to consult with your doctor prior to this procedure as each pregnancy and condition is different.
While I may not have opted for the surgery in my youth, I did wish to have agency of my own body – a knowledge of what was going on. I think for women planning on getting pregnant, it is not only empowering to be armed with the knowledge of our own body, but knowledge of the severity and repercussions can also save us from months of worry – at least before it is replaced by the plethora of worry and questions that come with the baby’s arrival.
