ENDOMETRIOSIS & UTERUS DIDELPHYS
What exactly is Endometriosis and Uterus Didelphys?
ENDOMETRIOSIS
Put simply, Endometriosis is a chronic condition that affects the endometrial tissue (lining of the uterus) of approximately 1 in 5 woman.
For whatever reason (currently unknown) this tissue grows outside the uterine cavity and finds its way into places it shouldn't be and can have a huge impact on reproductive health, general health, mental wellbeing and a whole host of other things.
Among other things, the main symptoms/side effects are painful menstrual cycles and/or trouble conceiving.
The general treatment for Endometriosis is excision via Laparoscopic Surgery and there is no known cure. It is not contagious - you cannot catch it. No-one knows what causes it or how to prevent it. A lot of the information readily available is conflicting, everyone has differing opinions and some theories are absolutely ridiculous.
For accurate, current and detailed (expert) information, as well as resources, news and contacts, check out the Endometriosis New Zealand website.
UTERUS DIDELPHYS
Oooh the fun one! In science words, Didelphys means two.
Uterus Didelphys is a condition where a woman is born with not one, but two uteruses and in some cases two cervix and two vaginas (the inside bit)
After an egg is fertilised and the embryo starts to develop, various parts that make up the human body come together in pairs and fuse to create one organ. i.e.; left and right of the heart, left and right of the brain etc. In some lucky ladies, this fusing is incomplete and the result is a duplication of the reproductive system.
Women with UD still have two ovaries and two fallopian tubes but some only end up having one kidney.
I am one of those lucky ladies! (with both kidneys thankfully!) In 2012 I had surgery, on advice of a gynaecologist, to remove the vaginal septum which created one vaginal cavity. Two uteruses, two cervixes and one vagina.There is still a little debate/uncertainty as to what specific anomaly I have - I have two separate uteruses that are also partially connected in one spot, so its technically "Didelphic Bicornuate" - super weird, super annoying.
There are literally hundreds of different congenital uterine anomalies - google it, it's actually fascinating!
