The Huffington Post UK Kyrsty Hazell First Posted: 01/11/12 11:05 AM ET Updated: 01/12/12 10:14 AM ET
A woman has spoken out on morning TV about a rare medical condition, which means she has two wombs and two vaginas, also known as uterus didelphys.
Hazel Jones, 27, revealed her one in a million condition on the This Morning show.
Embarrassing Bodies health expert Dr Dawn Harper explained on the show that Hazel's condition occurred because the uterus tube septum failed to break down when Miss Jones was a baby, meaning two uteruses formed instead of one.
Uterus didelphys, more commonly known as 'double uterus' happens when a woman's uterus forms differently and goes on to develop into two uteruses (wombs). While the condition itself is not uncommon, having two separate vaginas is extremely rare.
"The two tubes have made two separate uteruses and two vaginas and two cervixes. And although it's relatively common to have a septum within the uterus, to actually have two separate uteruses is much rarer - one in a million," explained Dr Harper.
MIss Jones first discovered something was wrong when she reached puberty and started her periods at 14.
"That wasn't fun. I used to suffer from horrendous cramps and my periods could be very heavy. I now know that my periods were worse because I have two wombs," Hazel explained. "It wasn't nice. I had friends and I tried explaining to them I was having problems and they had no idea what I was doing wrong.
"I always noticed there was this thing there," said the 27-year-old.
She also revealed that she had to lose her virginity twice as she had two hymens - the thin membrane surrounding the external vaginal opening - to break.
She explained: "If you are not aware that you have got this, it can be really uncomfortable as I thought I was having cystitis and urine infections from a young age when I was tearing the middle septum."
However, despite being offered surgery to 'correct' her condition, Miss Jones declined, saying: "They have to treat you like they would a post-op transsexual because if you have something removed from an area like that there's a risk of healing back together. You have to have it separated all the time and it can be very uncomfortable and cause scar tissue."
Doctors have also warned that Hazel may experience complications if she decides to start a family as she is at higher risk of late miscarriage, premature birth and bleeding during pregnancy.
She said: "I'm told that if I get pregnant I've got to be careful I don't get pregnant again in the other side because you can have pregnancies that are months apart. There is an increased risk of giving a breached birth and risk of bleeding while pregnant."