What Happened Next...?

Being totally honest, it was 10 years ago so I won’t lie, I’m not crystal clear on the details of what happened immediately after my diagnosis! I remember thinking about it ALL THE TIME! Is this real? Do I really have 2 wombs? Why? How? What happens when I get pregnant? I remember wanting to tell my friends but at the same time wondering what they would think of it. Would they think I was weird? Would they tell other people and make fun of the fact that I’ve got 2 holes! I did tell a good friend of mine, and they told their friend. Who then turned it into – I have one of each.. i.e. a HERMAPHRODITE! That was really fun (not), especially when you’re 19 and live in a VERY rural Irish area! Maybe it was a misunderstanding, maybe it was them taking the piss but that definitely made me more cautious of who I told and more importantly, WHY I told them.

I remember going to Dublin with my Dad (poor bugger!) to the Rotunda hospital to see my specialist gynaecologist. It was very strange to see a female doctor, as all the doctors I had been seeing were all male, so I felt a bit more… relaxed, I suppose. She was so chilled and lovely and spoke about it like she sees it all the time. Which was a relief because she sounded very confident in what the next steps were. She had reviewed the MRI with another doctor from another hospital (felt kinda special that she had to double check it with other doctors) and told me there was definitely 2 of everything. There were also just 2 kidneys – renal agenisis is associated with uterus didelphys and can mean that some women can have 1, 2 or even 3 kidneys (as if 2 wombs aren’t enough!). She did an internal exam which, by this time I was so used to that I’d nearly walk into their office with nothing on from the waist down to save time! Her nurse was lovely too, she spoke to me the whole way through the appointment which really made it feel like the three of us just having a catch up. I always had such a laugh when I went for an appointment – then again, I suppose what else can ya do when your legs are up in the air with your bits on display!

When she had finished rooting around in there (which was very uncomfortable, not going to lie) she told me that because my periods were so painful and sex was near impossible, that it would be a good idea to remove the septum. The septum is the little piece of skin that divides the vagina in two. It would also have benefits for pregnancy and delivery too. I asked loads of questions about pregnancy because I’ve always wanted to be a mum over anything else. She told me that she had patients with this condition that never even knew about it until they became pregnant. She did discuss the risks like increased risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and premature labour – all mainly related to the fact that both wombs are smaller than the average womb. She told me that natural delivery is possible, but that C-Section would be the best option and that would be discussed during pregnancy. She also mentioned that steroids would be given in later stages of pregnancy to mature the baby’s lungs in case of preterm delivery.

Having discussed all that, we made a plan to remove the septum. To be fair, because I didn’t know much else about it, I just went with it. I’m glad I did because if I was faced with this now, I’d be like oh shit what do I do – cue the million and one questions and the sleepless nights – panic, and then say fuck it I’m not doing it!

The day of the surgery, nearly the whole family came for the spin to Dublin! They had booked a hotel close to the hospital as we knew it was a possibility that I’d have to either stay the night or, if I was released on the same day, I’d be in no fit state to travel back home. I could only have one nominated visitor with me which was my mum, so she came with me to the hospital. We waited for ages, which didn’t bother me as I could see that there were other women in more serious situations than me, so I was happy to wait. Mum went down to the shop to get some bits and they came to take me down – typical! The same thing happened when I had to have my appendix out. I asked them could we wait but they were so busy I had to go in ASAP. So, they took me in and knocked me out with the gas which I had requested as I was petrified of needles (thank God I’m not anymore)!

I woke up later that evening and had some toast a bit too soon and ended up throwing it all back up – lovely! They gave me some painkillers and I went back to sleep. I woke up loads of times throughout the night because I still had a catheter in my bladder which made me think I needed a wee all the time (kind of counter-intuitive if you ask me)! I woke up the next morning ready to get out of there. My doctor came round and explained that she had removed the septum and she found that one cervix was sitting behind the other, when they should really be side by side. She said that this, mixed with the presence of the septum, was most likely what was causing the painful periods. It was basically blocking one womb from getting rid of blood. So, she was able to relocate the cervix and stitch it into place.

The nurse came round to remove my canula from my hand. She then removed the balloon catheter from one of my wombs (which I didn’t even feel), then she took out the catheter in my bladder which felt like I was pissing razor blades! I was given a few maternity pads and I had to make sure I could wee before I left. There was a small amount of spotting, but I think most of it was like clear fluid (I assume saline or something like that?). Dad picked me up and helped me down to the car. My lower abdomen was the size of a football and it was very hard to sit down or bend (probably because my insides had been sliced open).

The journey home was NOT fun. I had to sit in the front with the seat back to stretch out. I felt EVERY bump of the 300km journey! I had to change the pad two or three times as it was full of whatever fluid was coming out of me. I just couldn’t wait to get into bed. For a few weeks after I couldn’t wear jeans or tight clothes just purely because of the swelling. I went back up to see the doctor to make sure everything was still in place and healing. I didn’t feel that I could get any other doctor to check as they didn’t know my anatomy before the surgery. So, another spin with Dad to Dublin. She had students in this time which I actually like because it means that new doctors are getting the chance to learn about this condition. She checked me out and sent me on my way. I didn’t see her again until my smear test years later.

Since the septum removal and relocating the cervix, the pain has decreased dramatically. Even when I’m not on the pill, it’s nowhere near what it used to be. It’s still horrible don’t get me wrong. I could go into all kinds of analogies to try and explain it, but I think everyone interprets things differently. I still get cramps, nausea, upset tummy (to put it nicely!), migraines, dull pain in my hips/thighs. The pill really does help. I went back on it and forgot how good it is at reducing the pain. I’ve only ever used the pill as pain relief because, let’s face it, to use it as contraception you actually have to have a member of the opposite sex within close proximity! For me, it doesn’t give me any other major side effects to be honest, other than maybe a little weight gain (or I’m just a pig!), a few spots here and there, and maybe I’m a little bit grumpy!

All in all, I’m delighted I had the surgery. It gave me a better quality of life. I have talked to other women who had theirs removed and their story is not always as positive as mine unfortunately. I have been very lucky so far to have a wonderful doctor, but the truth is there are very few of these. To anyone who is not 100% comfortable with their doctor – find another one! It could change your life.

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