Woman discovered she had second vagina while in labor

A woman born with a second “tiny” vagina revealed what it is like to live with the rare condition.

Vic Au-Yeung, 42, from Herefordshire, first found out she had two wombs at 16 – but didn’t discover that she also had two cervixes and vaginal canals until decades later, when she became pregnant.

Now a mom-of-three, she recalls horrifying details from her teenage years including periods so intense she would faint from the pain and claimed doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to have children.

The news caused Vic to “go off the rails” for a few years, turning to alcohol and partying as a coping mechanism.

She said: “I suffered terribly with heavy periods and pains as a teenager.

“Every month, I’d spend time in the medical room at school, fainting from loss of blood or leaking onto my school uniform.

“Tampons didn’t work and I was forced to wear four sanitary pads at night and wake up to change them every few hours.

“When I was 16, I collapsed in the street from pain and was taken to A&E, where doctors told me I had two wombs and I’d never have children as a result, and that was the reason for my bad periods.

“I was absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken. I felt like my future had been taken away from me.”

She said the news was a “huge blow” but later did her own research and found it wasn’t completely impossible to conceive.

She fell pregnant with her first child Clio, now 23, in 1998 – and it wasn’t until she gave birth that she found out she also had two cervixes and a “tiny” second vagina.

Vic said: “When I gave birth the doctors already knew about my wombs, but it was whilst examining me in labor that my consultant realized I had two cervixes.

“I also had a terrible prolapse after she was born. They told me that it was skin dividing my normal vagina apart from a second one that was undetectable as it was so tiny in size.

“The doctor said I was a medical marvel and incredibly rare, but promising to fix me up with reconstructive surgery.”

The mom finally had an answer as to why tampons had failed her in the past, and was diagnosed with Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS) – a congenital bone condition in which at least two cervical vertebrae remain fused and immobile.

The condition can be a result of a twin not forming properly in the womb and the surviving baby inheriting two sets of reproductive organs.

Knowing her family has a history of twins, Vic believes that is likely the reason for her condition.

She has since also developed dystonia, a chronic condition in which muscles contract involuntarily, causing repetitive or twisting movements – which is related to KFS.

Vic waited six months for reconstructive surgery on her vagina – during which time she experienced severe pain.

She said: “Those months were incredibly painful due to the six inches of skin just hanging down.

“Once I had the operation. I was unfortunate to get an infection and the pain was horrific.

“It felt like down there was on fire.”

She recovered with antibiotics and two-and-a-half years later before she conceived again – having been trying for the past two years.

She welcomed Freddie, now 21, in 2001 before falling pregnant again in 2006 – this time whilst on the pill, though this is not believed to be due to her condition.

Vic said: “My daughter was a very happy ‘accident’ and I was over the moon to be blessed with a third child.”

After the birth of daughter Jaz in 2006, she once again experienced complications.

She said: “I had five years of almost non-stop heavy bleeding and agonizing pain in my womb.

“I was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis and offered a hysterectomy – after having two lots of keyhole laparoscopic surgeries which weren’t effective.

“When they took out my womb, it was covered in adhesions which explained the pain.”

Vic struggled with the recovery process and found it emotionally difficult – having hoped to have a fourth child.

But once she had recovered, she found her pain had completely gone.

She said: “I was 31 at the time and had suffered with heavy bleeding and chronic pain for just under 20 years.

“Not having periods for the last 11 years has been incredible. I think I take for granted how wonderful it is but I was very lucky – for many women, a hysterectomy doesn’t fix all the pain so I feel very blessed.

“To no longer be in pain is absolutely life changing.”

This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been reproduced here with permission.