A 16-week ultrasound scan of Bethany's second pregnancy. Photo / Media Drum World/australscope
A 16-week ultrasound scan of Bethany's second pregnancy. Photo / Media Drum World/australscope
A US mother who discovered she had two wombs and vaginas during a routine ultrasound scan has welcomed a healthy baby girl after a heartbreaking miscarriage.
27-year-old primary school teacher, Bethany McMillin from Michigan, fell pregnant in October 2017 with her husband Paul and during her 10-week scan, the doctor noticed something unusual about her anatomy.
She was then diagnosed with a rare condition called uterus didelphys, a uterine malformation where there are two uteruses, two cervixes and two vaginas present.
Consequently, the foetus had stopped developing at just six weeks and Bethany miscarried in January 2018 when she was just three months pregnant.
"I became pregnant for the first time in October 2017. My husband and I hadn't particularly been trying to conceive, but we had stopped actively trying not to," McMillin said.
"Since we didn't have any problems conceiving, it didn't even cross my mind that something could be wrong with my reproductive organs.
"We announced the pregnancy to my family as a Christmas present on December 23. Late that same night, I began bleeding.
"First thing the next morning, we went into Urgent Care, where it was confirmed that I had had a missed miscarriage - I was supposed to be about ten weeks along, but the baby had stopped developing at around six weeks.
"The doctor there also informed me that the ultrasound showed that I had two uteruses and two cervixes.
"He was a little baffled, as he had never seen a patient with anatomy like mine before, so there wasn't really anything he could tell me about it.
"A little over a month later, I went for a check-up, and the gynaecologist there noticed that I also have a full vaginal septum that divides my vagina into two sections; essentially, I also have two vaginas.
"I was very confused. I had never heard of such a thing before, I didn't know it was even possible. I didn't understand how I could have been born this way and never known.
Ever since her diagnosis she was told that the risk of a second miscarriage or preterm labour was very high due to the condition.
"What little they did tell me was pretty bleak; I heard all about the high chances of recurrent miscarriages, preterm delivery, baby being in a breech position, and that I might never be able to have children at all," she said.
A year after she lost her first baby, Bethany discovered she fell pregnant again in December 2018 and whilst she was happy with the news, she felt more cautious in case something went wrong.
However, when she reached her nine-week scan, she heard her baby's heartbeat for the first time and she finally let herself feel hopeful.
"It was farther than we had gotten the last time, and statistics say that having a healthy heartbeat after just six weeks is a strong indicator that you won't miscarry," she said.
McMillin said that her daughter was an "amazing blessing". Photo / Media Drum World/australscope
In September 2019, she gave birth to her daughter, Maeve, who is now five months old.
McMillin said: "Having this dream finally come true has been an amazing blessing. Even the challenges and difficulties and sacrifices that come with having a child haven't felt as challenging or difficult or sacrificial for me, because I know this is what I was meant for.
"I feel more fulfilled in my life by being her mum."
McMillin has since embraced her condition and tried to raise more awareness.
"Get to know your own body. This condition is rare and can vary vastly from woman to woman. There is a lot that is unknown about it, and even what is known about it may not apply to every woman who has it," she said.
