A Case of Successful Pregnancy in a Ewe with Uterus Didelphys

Abstract

Uterus didelphys is a rare congenital abnormality of the reproductive tract. Although it occurs in various species, there are no published reports describing pregnancy outcome in association with this abnormality. Herein we describe a case of successful unilateral singleton pregnancy in a ewe incidentally found to have uterus didelphys during the course of a biomedical research study. The pregnancy was established using assisted reproductive techniques and interrupted in late gestation, at which point the abnormality was identified. Serial ultrasound assessment of foetal biometry revealed a normal foetal growth trajectory. Despite a 45% reduction in placentome number, total placentome weight was near normal secondary to compensatory placentome growth and development. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed report of normal foetal growth in an animal with uterus didelphys and illustrates the ability of the ovine placenta to adapt to a reduced number of placentomes and maintain foetal nutrient supply.

True uterus didelphys in she-camel: a case report and review of literature

“…Uterus didelphys is a rare congenital anomaly of the female reproductive tract that has been reported in different animal species (3,4,19,20,24,25). Abusineina (10) classified cervical abnormalities into four main types: uterus didelphys, complete double cervix, incomplete double cervix, and double external uterine orifices.…”

“…In accordance with the present data, reports claim that animals with uterus didelphys undergo a normal conception rate following natural mating ( 9 , 20 ). Moreover, pregnancy has been reported in a cow ( 12 ) and an ewe ( 24 ) with uterus didelphys. Chethan and Singh ( 20 ) claimed that the condition is hereditary and associated with recessive genes of unknown etiology.…”