Monday, January 5, 2009

Miracle of woman who fell pregnant - despite having TWO reproductive systems


One in a million: Lindsay Hasaj has two reproductive systems
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When Lindsay Hasaj found out she was pregnant, she and her husband Tony were thrilled.

But five weeks later, the 27-year old received a bigger surprise - doctors told her she had a dual reproductive system, with the baby growing in one of her two wombs.

Only one in a million women have her anatomy but now that her condition has been diagnosed, she should be able to have a perfectly normal pregnancy.

Yesterday Mrs Hasaj spoke about her extraordinary discovery.

'I can't wait to be a mum and I know Tony is going to make the best dad,' the financial sales worker said. 'Because of what has happened, I feel this baby is extra special.'

Her condition - which means that she also has two cervixes and two vaginas - halves the chance of fertilisation.

It was pure luck that she became pregnant only two months after she and her 30-year-old husband, began trying for a baby shortly after their marriage last July.

'The moment I broke the news to Tony was incredible, we were both so happy,' she said.

'We decided we didn't want to know whether it's a boy or a girl.'

She was unaware of a bigger surprise to come. Her rare condition, uterus didelphys, had not been detected because her body is normal externally.

In November she went to hospital with a pain in her abdomen that she feared was caused by an ectopic pregnancy - when a baby grows outside the womb.

She decided not to worry her husband, who was visiting relatives in Albania. 'I hoped I was just being a hypochondriac,' she said.

An ectopic pregnancy was ruled out, but more tests were ordered.

'I was in a cold sweat,' she recalled. 'I thought they were going to say I'd had a phantom pregnancy or something. Ten minutes later I was told very matter-of-factly that they could see two wombs and two cervixes.'

A scan of Lindsay's baby

Extra special: A scan of Lindsay's baby

Although eight in 10,000 women in the UK have some form of uterus didelphys, only one in a million has exactly Mrs Hasaj's anatomy. She has one entrance to her vagina, which then divides into two internally.

'It finally made sense of why I'd always had inconclusive readings from smear tests,' she said. 'Each time it would have been as though they were investigating two different people. I felt so scared for the baby and wondered if I was a real woman.'

Doctors assured her that with the proper care her unborn child's health should not be affected.

'The baby was kicking and wriggling and it felt wonderful. It made me feel like I was any other mum experiencing the joys of pregnancy.'

The next step was to call her husband, a security firm manager, to break the news.

She said: 'Niggling in the back of my mind was the worry that he would think I was a freak.

'It was such a relief when I heard his comforting voice.'

Lindsay Hasaj, pictured with her husband Tony, fell pregnant despite having two reproductive systems

Thrilled: Lindsay is pictured with her husband Tony

Mr Hasaj - who three months before the wedding spent a week in a coma after a serious motorcycle accident - added: 'We can't wait until July when the baby will be with us - probably to cause more mischief!'

Dr Peter Bowen-Simpkins, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the London Women's Clinic, explained how lucky Mrs Hasaj, of Finchley, North London, had been.

He said: 'Having uterus didelphys halves the chance of falling pregnant. There is only a 50 per cent chance of the sperm fertilising via the vagina that is ovulating at that time.'

The condition does pose some problems because the two wombs are considerably weaker than a normal one.

Now three months pregnant, Mrs Hasaj is having her cervix checked every fortnight and may take hormones to strengthen it.

Doctors have also told her this will probably be her only baby and her dreams of a large family are unlikely to be fulfilled. 'I'm just happy that I've been given the chance to be a mum at least once,' she said.


Source: Daily Mail Uk.

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