A mum born with two uteruses has welcomed twins, conceiving one baby through IVF in one uterus and the other baby naturally in her other uterus.
Madeline Kaklikos, 24, and her husband, Jon, 27, welcomed their miracle twin boys, Cole and Nate, in February following ten rounds of fertility treatment over three years.
Medics described Madeline’s case as one-in-50 million, due to the fact they were both conceived using different methods and were each developed in a different uterus.
Madeline, from Melbourne, Australia, discovered that she has a rare congenital condition called uterine didelphys – where a woman is born with two uteruses – when she and her husband began trying for a baby in 2020 without any success.
After thinking they were never going to fall pregnant, Madeline and John were shocked but totally over the moon to learn that were actually expecting two miracle babies.
Madeline said: ‘After ten rounds of fertility treatment and years of trying to conceive, it never crossed our minds that we would fall pregnant naturally while undergoing IVF.
‘I’d already been diagnosed with PCOS in 2017, when I was 18, and knew it would be difficult to conceive.
‘However, during an ultrasound to investigate further, it was discovered that I actually have two uteruses and I was diagnosed with uterine didelphys (UD).’
Doctors suggested the couple try IVF, and two embryos were implanted into Madeline’s ‘more accessible uterus’ but unfortunately didn’t take.
‘We kept trying, but by the time I had my eighth round, I was terrified we’d never have a baby,’ commented the mum.
‘It was a dark time, and I really struggled to find hope.’
A few months later, the next egg collection was able to make 11 embryos, and in June last year the pair got the call that they were finally pregnant.
‘I was with Jon, my parents and brother, at the time of the call, and we all erupted into screams and had tears streaming down our faces as we hugged,’ said Madeline.
It was at the 10-week scan that Madeline learned she was expecting twins, with a second spontaneous baby in her second uterus.
‘Jon and I looked at each other in total disbelief,’ she recalled.
‘The doctors explained to us that the chances of having one baby in one uterus and a second in the other were one-in-50-million.
‘We also realised that they had been conceived at different times and in different ways. One twin was conceived through IVF, and the other was naturally conceived.’
As the pregnancy was classed as high risk, Madeline was under constant monitoring and was offered a planned C-section as her condition made a natural delivery impossible.
Madeline gave birth to her twins on February 20, at 34 weeks, and says that she was petrified, but her husband kept her calm.
‘When I was able to hold my babies for the first time, I felt like my heart was going to explode,’ she said.
‘We only had 10 minutes before they were taken to special care, but it was everything I’d dreamed of.’
Although Madeline found it hard to be separated from the newborns, she spent as much time with them as possible and found comfort in the fact they were looked after by ‘amazing nurses’ if she wasn’t there.
After 17 days in hospital, Cole and Nate were discharged and able to go home with their parents.
‘Having newborn twins was hectic, but they’re three months old now and are doing well,’ said Madeline.
‘We’re loving life as parents to our miracle twins.’
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