Tilted Uterus and Early Pregnancy

I am not a medical professional. The information I share is meant to supplement the information given you by your doctor. If you feel your doctor is not doing enough for you or not willing to listen to your concerns, I strongly encourage you to take what you've learned here and get a second opinion.

If you found out you have a tilted uterus (AKA retroverted or tipped), know that you are not alone. Researchers believe up to 1/3 of all women have a tilted uterus and many just do not know it.

Approximately 2/3 of all women have an anteverted uterus. An anteverted uterus tips forward toward the bladder. The other 1/3 or so have a uterus that is tipped back toward the rectum and spine.

The uterus can and does change positions between pregnancies. Just because you have a tilted uterus at some point in your life does not mean it will always be tilted.
Just so, if your uterus is tilted forward, it can become retroverted.

Because tilted uteri are so common, many women have no idea they have one. Doctors rarely mention it except in passing. If you ask during an internal exam or transvaginal ultrasound, the physician, nurse or ultrasound technician can tell you.

You may have a tilted uterus if you have some pain or uncomfortableness typically during sex. Pain, severe cramping or diarrhea during your period can also be a sign. Some women report that they are more prone to lower back pain while others have problems using tampons.

Before I begin, let me share what a blighted ovum is. A blighted ovum (AKA anembryonic pregnancy) is when the fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterus but the baby stops developing before even the yolk sac is formed. If you can see a yolk sac, you do not have a true blighted ovum.

Because I was diagnosed with a blighted ovum between 5 1/2 and 8 weeks, I've since shared the story of finding my baby at nearly nine weeks. As a result, many women have shared their own misdiagnosed blighted ova stories at the Misdiagnosed Miscarriage site. We've come to realize over the last few years, the majority of us have a tilted uterus. Many of our babies are first seen with hCG levels well into the tens of thousands sometimes even over 100,000. Ultrasound literature, however, states that some sort of development ought to be seen when hCG levels reach 3,600 or so. The ultrasound literature also claims that if the sac if 18mm large or larger, a blighted ovum diagnosis may be made. However, we've seen in women with a tilted uterus, their sacs may be quite a bit bigger before anything can be seen.

No, unfortunately research does not YET back up our claim that women with a tilted uterus will often be further along before their babies can be seen. And, the reason that research does not YET back it up is because nobody has ever researched the combination tilted uterus/first trimester/transvaginal ultrasound link. We have found studies indicating research is going that direction however.

For example, a study by Dr. Ronald Wachsberg shows that a transrectal ultrasound can be beneficial in a woman with a tilted uterus. Transrectal ultrasonography for problem solving after transvaginal ultrasonography of the female internal reproductive tract

However, we also know that most women are not going to ask their physicians for a transrectal ultrasound so, in that case, time is the only true measure of whether a pregnancy is viable or not.

Another possible study indirectly backing this up:
According to study by LACHLAN CH. DE CRESPIGNY, et al.,
The gestation sac size in pregnancies resulting from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer have been compared with those in spontaneous pregnancies. Small-for-dates gestational sac sizes were found in 36% of the IVF pregnancies. This proportion held for both singleton and multiple pregnancies. With increasing gestation beyond 8 weeks the gestation sac volume increasingly approached normal. In contrast to spontaneous conceptions, IVF pregnancies had a low rate of pregnancy loss once fetal heart movements were demonstrated, when the gestation sac size was small-for-dates. Small sac size in an IVF pregnancy may lead to the misdiagnosis of a failed pregnancy.

The interesting thing about this study is that other studies indicate that up to 30 to 40% of women have a tilted uterus. I suspect these women simply had a tilted uterus. We know that later in the first trimester when the uterus is in a more typical position, dates are right on again which is the case in this study.

TiltedUterus.net
a wonderful site, complete with forum, for women who want to learn more about tilted uteri.

Retroverted Uterus Page at Wikipedia
This page has a basic description of a tilted uterus.

My Own Misdiagnosed Blighted Ovum Story
- After turning down the D&C twice, we found my baby at nearly nine weeks!
My First Misdiagnosed Miscarriage
- During my first pregnancy, we believed I was miscarrying at 12 weeks

A collection of Misdiagnosed Miscarriage stories

Bleeding during the First Trimester

What your Doctor may not know about your pregnancy after IVF

Coping With A Miscarriage

Miscarriage News and Research

hCG levels and Pregnancy FAQ

When You've Been Diagnosed with a Miscarriage

Tilted Uterus and Early Pregnancy

16 Days Past Ovulation (DPO) and hCG levels

Blighted Ovum FAQ

Infant Survival Rates during Pregnancy

Progesterone and Miscarriage

Asherman's Syndrome: Why you may want to rethink your D&C

So You've Been Told You Have A Blighted Ovum

Non-Doubling hCG Levels in the First Trimester Do Not Mean Inevitable Miscarriage!

Can Stress Lead to Miscarriage?

The First Trimester: Enlarged Yolk Sac

Getting a Second Opinion about a Miscarriage Diagnosis

Why You May Want an Ultrasound Right Before Your D&C

Is This Really an Ectopic Pregnancy?