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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

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Original poster

Heart shaped uterus...cute or a problem?

8 replies

knopeway · 29/10/2017 14:17

Hi, I'm in my mid twenties & new to MN, as I am not yet a parent.
To be honest, I have signed up & written this post just for some insight.

Myself & my partner are hoping to try for our first baby in the near future, but I have been told that I have a heart shaped uterus. When I read some previous threads I saw that some people were told in passing and some women were given the serious talk. I was given the serious talk by a very unfeeling female dr whose student had to pass me the tissues as I cried uncontrollably, who told me that it might be difficult for me to ever conceive/carry a child of my own.
The last threads I found were from 2014, I just wanted to see if anyone out there had any recent experience of this.
Every time I had mentioned this with a dr I have been dismissed, I'm not sure what the next move will be, but I don't want to get my hopes up for something that might never happen - I am a worrier and have seen the complications and statistics that Google has to offer but would like to hear some real life experiences if anyone could share theirs!

Thank you.

OP posts:

MotherOfBeagles · 29/10/2017 14:31

My mum, her sisters, my female cousins and myself all have heart shaped uteruses. I’m pregnant with my first after about a year of trying and one mc. My cousin has 2 kids and fell very quickly with no mcs. My mum and her sisters all have multiple kids and have had a couple of mcs each but had no problem carrying to term.

Tbh it was only ever mentioned in passing to me when we were trying so never thought to be worried about it. I got sick of hearing it when trying but try to stay off google and don’t stress and it will help. Honestly the time I fell was the month me and dh decided to be really silly and make it a giggle - one of the tips I’d ignored was about putting my hips up on a cushion for a bit after sex but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Eventually the month I fell was when we did this but instead of being stressed with it we made it funny and a race. Don’t know if that’s what worked but that month was so much easier to cope with the wait.

Try not to worry! I know it’s impossible but it does help. Good luck!

happiestcamper · 29/10/2017 14:31

My mum had a heart shaped uterus and as she is my mum I hope that answers your question

physicskate · 29/10/2017 15:15

I don't have a heart shaped uterus, but I've been on these boards for longer than I have cared to be ttc (for other reasons)...

It seems there are 'degrees' of heart-shaped. Some people seem to have problems if they have a severe septum, some with the same severity don't have issues. It's all pot luck anyway (anyone want to lend me their luck??). I'm also sure I've heard mention of the possibility to 'correct' or improve the condition surgically, but only after trying for over a year and having proven problems because of the septum (perhaps multiple mc??).

keeponrunning85 · 29/10/2017 17:03

I have/had a partially bicornuate (heart shaped) uterus with a partial septum. After 4 miscarriages I had surgery 3 weeks ago to remove as much of the septum as possible, so now it is just partially bicornuate. My third miscarriage was due to a chromosomal problem issue but the other 3 could have been because of my uterus shape.

However, many women with it don't have issues. My mum has similar and she had one miscarriage and then 4 children.

There isn't a huge amount of research around it or evidence to support surgery.

Original poster

knopeway · 29/10/2017 19:32

Thanks everyone, I now know I'm not alone! Think maybe next step might be to speak to someone about how (in degrees) severe septum it is.
Thank you again!
Sending you luck @physicskate and good wishes to you all xx.

OP posts:

tinkiiev · 29/10/2017 19:49

I was told by a very unfeeling doctor that I had this; I was also in tears and very stressed by it (also bc had had 2 MCs by this point). I remember calling my friend, who's a GP, and sobbing to her about it and she said - well, yeah, people's uteruses are different shapes just like people's faces are different shapes; nobody has a perfectly round uterus (!!) and you shouldn't worry about it. Which made me feel much better.

I now have 3 happy DCs and nobody ever mentioned the heart shaped uterus again so it must have never been an issue. It's probably all stretched out of shape by now anyway (if the rest of me is anything to go by )

BeyondHope · 30/10/2017 15:10

I found out I have a bicornate uterus during the c section for my now 3 year old. He was conceived first month of trying and came slightly early at 35 weeks. He simply ran out of room to grow and my waters went.

Since trying for our second child I have had 5 miscarriages. I have been told by the consultant at the recurrent miscarriage clinic I attend that with a bicornate uterus the embryo has to implant in the correct area where the blood supply is good. So not on the septate part. If it doesn't then I will miscarry. All my miscarriages have been around the 6 week mark, with a 14 week one that was chromosomally abnormal.

I know there is an operation to correct things but with a heart shaped uterus I wouldn't worry. I believe they are more common than we know. The advice will probably be to try and see how it goes. Then look at surgery further down the line if things don't work out.

Tonytonymacaroni · 30/10/2017 15:27

I have it, and I have one DD and another baby on the way. Hope this helps! Iwas only told because I went to the GP complaining of a stabbing pain where I imagined my left ovary to be, was referred to hospital for an internal scan and while they were looking they saw my uterus shape. My GP had to call me with results of the scan the next day (pain unexplained) and told me he wouldn't be doing his job properly if he didn't inform me but not to start googling or worrying about being able to have kids (this was 2 years before ttc). He said it's relatively common and lots of women go their whole lives without knowing as by the time you are pregnant and have the 12 week scan, the uterus has changed size/shape anyway filling with fluids and a growing baby. He also said not to think about it again unless I had 3 miscarriages, and so far I've been lucky enough to never experience one. I did ignore him initially and researched it a bit as I was curious, and it appeared the miscarriages happened mainly when the implantation happened on an area of low blood supply. Mine has a small septum so that's where the risky area is. But it honestly hasn't come up again and in all other ways I've had fairly normal pregnancies. Try not to worry!

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