Alabama woman born with 2 uteruses is now pregnant in both of them – in a one-in-a-million medical phenomenon

An Alabama woman who was born with two uteruses is now pregnant in both of them — a one-in-a-million medical anomaly.

Kelsey Hatcher, 32, was born with the condition uterine didelphys, also known as double uterus. This allowed her to develop two uteruses and two cervixes –  the canal that connects the uterus to the vagina – which experts believe occurs in just three per 1,000 women.

This spring, the mother-of-three learned she was pregnant with twin girls. She told her husband, Caleb: ‘I said, “Well, there’s two of them in there.” And he said, “You’re lying.”‘

However, she was shocked to learn during the first ultrasound that she was carrying one baby in each uterus. 

Kelsey Hatcher, 32, was born with two uteruses and two cervixes. She is now expecting twins – one in each uterus

The twins are both girls and are developing normally. Because they are in two different uteruses, they could be born hours, days, or even weeks apart

Dr Richard Davis, a high-risk pregnancy expert at the University of Alabama-Birmingham hospital, told local news outlet WVTM double uterus is rare on its own, and having a twin in each one is about a one-in-a-million chance. 

‘The probability of having a twin in each one is really crazy,’ he said.  

Mrs Hatcher is about 34 weeks along, and her due date is Christmas Day for both babies. 

When the uterus forms in a fetus during pregnancy, it starts as two ducts that join together to form the organ. However, for those with double uterus, the ducts don’t join together. Each duct instead creates its own uterus. In Mrs Hatcher’s case, she also has two cervixes.

It’s unclear why this happens.  

Mrs Hatcher and her husband, Caleb (pictured here) will have five children under eight years old once the twins are born. They said this will be their last pregnancy

Most women don’t know they have the condition until it’s discovered during a routine pelvic exam or while investigating effects like recurring miscarriages or severe menstrual pain.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, those with double uterus are at an increased risk of miscarriage, early labor, C-sections, low birth weight, growth restriction, and babies being born in the breech position – when the baby is feet or bottom first in the uterus, which can be dangerous and make delivery more difficult.

Both babies are developing normally, though the challenge will be welcoming them into the world.  

Dr Davis said: ‘So when [Mrs Hatcher] 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.’

The uteruses may start experiencing contractions at different times, and the sisters could be born hours, days, or even weeks apart. 

Dr Shweta Patel, another doctor caring for Mrs Hatcher, told Good Morning America: ‘It’s so unpredictable, and that’s why we’ve had a lot of conversations with [Mrs Hatcher] kind of talking about the different scenarios that could happen, where she could have a vaginal delivery with both babies, she could have a vaginal delivery with one and a C-section with the other, or maybe end up having a C-section for both of them as well.

‘There’s no true expert out there who knows how to manage a patient with two uteruses and two babies, with one in each uterus.

‘So we really are relying on our baseline teaching and our baseline knowledge and the normal physiology of pregnancy that we understand, and applying it in her scenario.’

By the time the twins are born, Mrs Hatcher and her husband will have five children under the age of eight. 

She said: ‘The third one was our last one… We’re grateful for the blessings for sure, but this will definitely be the end.’