Septate uterus?

aklawrence1

We went in for our first U/S on Tuesday. I was taking Clomid when I got pregnant, and I was having some pretty significant cramping, so my doctor wanted to make sure it wasn't tubal. My doctor said the heart rate of 102 was lower than he wanted to see (at 6w1d). I've read on here where others have seen low heart rates in the beginning, and everything has been fine, but I'm so nervous.

The other thing my doctor discovered was a septate uterus... which he said meant that my uterus is more heart-shaped than pear-shaped like it should be. He said that unless the implantation is on the actual septation, it should be okay, and not cause too many problems, but it does put me at a higher risk of m/c... which is incredibly scary. Has anyone else heard of this or seen this?

Meagan0528

I have a small septum. It depends on the size of it in most cases. It doesn't sound like your dr is worried, so I wouldn't be. Best of luck! 

sweetone624

Yes, I had a septate uterus too.  My first RE discovered something was off with my uterus but never took action, we left him for various reasons.  My new RE after having my second laparoscopy and mri noticed that it was a septate and wanted to remove it, so I went in for a hysteroscopy to have it removed.  Best Wishes to you and your little one  

fallenangel313

I too have a small septum. There are varying degrees, and ultrasounds don't always paint the best picture or tell how big it is. I had a saline infusion sonogram done, which is supposed to give a clearer picture of the septum, but all they told me is that it is a septum and does not extend all the way down my uterus, but they couldnt see how big it was. Doctors have told me that a m/c will only occur if the placenta implants on the septum and not the uterine wall as normal, and would happen in the 1st trimester. One doctor even told me that if I got past the 12 week mark (she seemed sure I wouldn't, though never said it outright-I then switched practices so I'd take this with a grain of salt), I would be at a higher risk for preterm labor and a c-section, because the septum would restrict the baby's growth and the baby would favor a breech position.

 

FWIW, I'm now 13 weeks pregnant and just about to enter the second trimester. my husband and I were quite nervous in the beginning. I went last week for my 12 week ultrasound and my dr assured me that the placenta is implanted on the wall of my uterus and he no longer sees any septum because the baby pushed it out of the way. He could still see it a month ago, although the placenta was too small to see at that point. So there is hope and there are plenty of people with varying degrees of uterine anomalies who go on to have happy healthy babies. I hope you are one of those people!

LnR70707

Yes.  I had one, but my RE did a SHG before starting any treatment so we opted to remove it.  I was also told the same thing about implantantion, and depending on the size (mine was 3/4 of the way into my uterus...so fairly big) it can cause IUGR later on.  I am pretty sure there are one or two ladies on the High Risk board that have experience with this, so they might be able to offer more advice.  Best of luck.

0231654

Yes i do 

 

  

LnR70707

0231654:

Yes i do 

 

  

Why is there a failed image box in every single one of your posts?

BLuvsE

They couldn't tell for sure, but mine is either septate or bicornuate. Bicornuate = heart shaped, septate = divided down the middle kind of.

Anyway - don't google. It's only sad stories. The risks are -

1st Tri - you're more likely to miscarry if the placenta is growing in a bad spot. My doc suggested that I take it easy - no exercise or heavy lifting.

2nd Tri - you're more likely to go into pre-term labor. That's because if your uterus is misshapen, your cervix might be, too - causing you to dilate too soon. It's a GREAT thing your doctor discovered your septate early, because that means they can keep an eye on this and take the necessary precautions (cerclage, bed rest, etc) to prevent it - you should be fine!

3rd Tri - your baby is more likely to be born in a breech position. Some OBs will only deliver breech babies via c-section, but I was able to find one that will consider vaginal birth and c-section and do whichever is safest. In any case, this shouldn't be a huge problem and there are things you can do to try to prevent it if you want.

Overall - The miscarry rate for all pregnancies is 1 in 5. For people with mullerian anomalies (septate, bicornuate, there are others...) it is 2 in 5.

All that said - many many many women do not discover their 'fun' utes until they go for a hysterectomy. They have healthy pregnancies and multiple children and never even know there is something different about their body until the doctor removes the uterus and says "Hmmm...that looks different."

I won't tell you to just relax, because that has been the worst 'advice' anyone has given me over the past several weeks since I discovered this. I just think of this time that I am worrying as training for one day when my little boy or girl wants to do something that makes me want to be the overprotective Mama Bear. When that happens, I will remember that during the part of my pregnancy when there was really nothing I could do to protect my child, God took care of him/her for me. And hopefully I'll back off.

amykins1283

My mom has a bicorunate (sp?) uterus.  She actually had a lot of problems carrying to term (several early and one later term miscarriage) because hers was severe and resulted in one side of her uterus being significantly smaller than the other.  She did carry me to term but spent 4 1/2 months of her pregnancy on strict bedrest and had to take strong labor stopping drugs for that time as well.  It doesn't sound like yours is a severe case so you more than likely won't have any trouble and your doctor will monitor you closely.