When, at the age of 18, Caroline Geiger went to her first appointment with a gynecologist, the sky fell on her head. The examination reveals a didelphic uterus, either formed of two cavities: the young woman therefore has two uteri! Normally, the uterus is formed during the seventh week of fetal development, by the fusion of two ducts, the Müllerian ducts. A step that did not happen with Caroline. Very rare, this malformation affects only 1 to 2% of women worldwide.
“The doctor then explained to me that I had a good chance of being infertile and that if by chance I got pregnant, there could be serious complications,” she recalls. Five years later, Caroline finds love in the person of Nate Wort-man, a young consultant her age, to whom she quickly confides her problem. “I knew he wanted children and I didn’t know if it was possible to give them to him. Fortunately, he was ready to look, if necessary, for other options to have some with me.”
The pregnancy is going well, and the second uterus that does not carry the baby is simply pushed to the side
Caroline and Nate get married in September 2019 and, without waiting, launch the “baby trials”. “I was worried, but they always say that stress can make it harder to get pregnant, so we tried to be relaxed,” says the young woman. On April 25, 2020, Caroline realizes that her period is a few days late and decides to take a pregnancy test. “When the positive result came out, I couldn’t believe my eyes, I ran down the stairs to show Nate the result!”
The couple are thrilled. The pregnancy is going well, and the second uterus that is not carrying the baby is simply pushed to the side as the fetus grows. On January 2, 2021, little Josie was born and her parents were overjoyed. But six months later, in June, Caroline feels nauseous while driving with her parents. “I thought it was because of my father’s conduct. But the accumulation of symptoms alerted me and I took a pregnancy test the next morning.”
“I would like to encourage women not to give up if they want to become mothers”
The result leaves the couple speechless: Caroline is pregnant again! The baby is 10 weeks old and growing in his second womb! “The baby was small enough that we could see the other womb and confirm which side it was on. Josie was in the right womb, my son Brooks in the left, but we hadn’t seen him. ” On December 26, 2021, the 31-year-old American gave birth to her baby boy.
Caroline is aware that her case is rare. “I would like to encourage women not to give up if they want to become a mother, she explains on TikTok. For those who have the same diagnosis as me, I hope this story will hold their attention and allow them to say, ‘Look, this woman was told it wouldn’t be possible and she had two healthy babies in one year,'” she concluded, beaming.
Mary Caroline Wortman © FACEBOOK MARY CAROLINE WORTMAN
