Chinese woman with two uteruses gives birth to twins from each womb. True story

A Chinese woman having two uteruses made headlines after she gave birth to twins in September, one from each womb — a rare condition that affects only 0.3 per cent of women globally.

In Short

• Chinese woman gives birth to twins from different uteruses
• Rare condition affects 0.3 per cent of women globally
• Twins born in Shaanxi province, boy and girl, healthy

A Chinese woman from the country’s northwest region gave birth to twins in September, each from a different uterus, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The woman, identified only by her surname Li, was diagnosed with a rare condition that affects just 0.3 per cent of women globally.

Li’s condition, known as uterus didelphys, meant she had two fully formed uteruses, each complete with its own set of ovaries and oviducts. While this rare condition is uncommon, what makes Li’s case even more extraordinary is the successful natural conception and delivery of twins, a boy, and a girl, from both wombs.

The twins were born at a hospital in Shaanxi province when Li was eight and a half months pregnant.

Cai Ying, a senior obstetrician at the hospital, described the case as a “one in a million” phenomenon. “Being pregnant in each of the two uteruses through natural conception is very rare. We have only heard of a couple of such cases from both China and abroad,” Cai was quoted as saying by SCMP.

She added that women with this condition often face challenges during pregnancy, including a heightened risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, and postpartum complications.

Li, who had previously suffered a miscarriage at 27 weeks due to undetermined causes, became pregnant again in January. This time, the medical team at the hospital devised a comprehensive plan to ensure the health of both mother and babies.

According to the report, Li delivered her twins by caesarean section, with the boy weighing 3.3kg and the girl 2.4kg. Both babies were born healthy.

This case brings to mind a similar case from 2019 when a woman in Bangladesh gave birth to twins almost a month after she delivered a premature baby boy. According to BBC, doctors, in that case, found that the woman had two uteruses and had been carrying twins in the second womb.