Retrodisplacement of the Uterus During Pregnancy and the Puerperium

Retrodisplaced Gravid Uterus

“…Of the 447 women with an anteverted gravid uterus examined before or during the 12th week of pregnancy during the same period, 54 aborted-an incidence of 1 in 8.3. The usual quoted incidence of abortion for all pregnancies is 1 in 5 (Malins, 1903;Wiehl, 1938); and Adair (quoted by Danforth and Galloway, 1926) states that I in 3 + is nearer the truth.…”

“…Tha ratio of abortions to pregnancies is therefore, at worst, I: 3, for it is probable that, of the 22 cases, the abortions would have been readmitted, whereas the successful pregnancies might have been delivered elsewhere. Furthermore, when one considers the number of women with a retrodisplaced pregnant uterus which spontaneously anteverts while they are under observation and treatment as out-patients and who continue their pregnancies successfully, and also the number of patients who begin pregnancy with a retrodisplaced uterus but who cannot be diagnosed owing to late presentation at the clinic, it is clear that the incidence obtained must be greater than it actually is.. Danforth and Galloway (1926) studied a series of 55 private patients with a retrodisplaced pregnant uterus, and found the incidence of abortion to be as low as 1 in 13.7 pregnancies. Of the 27 women with a retrodisplaced gravid uterus examined before or during the 12th week of pregnancy in the years 1944-5, only 2 aborted-an incidence of I in 13.5 pregnancies.…”