"1 in a Million Chance"... Chinese Woman Gives Birth to Son and Daughter Twins from Two Uteri

Congenital Malformation 'Ssangjagung'... Gave Birth to Son and Daughter Separately
Healthy Delivery Overcoming Risks of Miscarriage and Premature Birth

A woman born with a congenital malformation known as 'Ssangjagung' (double uterus) in China gave birth to twins with a probability of one in a million.

In early September, Ms. Limo, who has a double uterus, gave birth to a son and a daughter from each uterus at Xi'an Fourth Hospital in Xi'an, Shanxi Province, China.
[Image source=South China Morning Post (SCMP), Hong Kong]

Recently, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Ms. Li gave birth to healthy twins?a boy (3.3kg) and a girl (2.4kg)?via cesarean section at Xi'an Fourth Hospital in Shaanxi Province, China, in early September. Ms. Li was born with two uteri. 'Ssangjagung' is a very rare congenital condition occurring in about 0.3% of women worldwide. In Ms. Li's case, both uteri were fully formed with ovaries and fallopian tubes.

Women with double uteri are at risk of repeated miscarriages, premature birth, fetal growth restriction, and postpartum hemorrhage after pregnancy. Ms. Li reportedly experienced a miscarriage at 27 weeks due to unknown causes.

After learning of Ms. Li's pregnancy in January this year, the hospital developed a meticulous plan to maintain the pregnancy beyond 37 weeks. Thanks to this, both the mother and newborns remained healthy and were discharged from the hospital four days after delivery.

Dr. Cai Ying, chief obstetrician at Xi'an Fourth Hospital, explained, "It is extremely rare for a woman to conceive naturally in both uteri," adding, "Maintaining pregnancy beyond 37 weeks and successfully delivering is a one in a million chance." A Chinese netizen who read this story commented, "A colleague with a double uterus had a son after three miscarriages," emphasizing, "It is never an easy journey."

The medical community regards this case as extremely rare and expects it to greatly contribute to research on pregnancy and childbirth in women with double uteri.

Meanwhile, in December last year, there was also a case in Alabama, USA, where a woman with a double uterus gave birth to twins. However, it was reported that the woman had previously given birth three times through single uterus pregnancies.