Woman Had Intense Periods. After Surgery at Age 19, She Discovered She Has an Extremely Rare Condition — 2 Wombs (Exclusive)

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• A woman thought she had appendicitis but after surgery she was told she had two uteruses

• Ellie Curran, 21, was eventually diagnosed with a fully bicorporeal uterus, a rare condition that affects only 0.4% of women.

• She tells PEOPLE: “Women, you know your own body better than anyone. If you feel like something isn’t right, don’t stop fighting for answers.”

A woman who has historically had heavy menstrual periods once thought she, too, was suffering from appendicitis. When the doctors told him that most of his pain was due to the fact that he was sick two wombsHe was shocked.

Irish Ellie Curran was 12 when she got her period for the first time. “Right after that I realized roughly that they were very painful and heavy,” she tells PEOPLE. “I often had to stay in bed for a lot of time and I was so tired that it was affecting my social life.”

One night, Curran, now 21, said he felt a “really bad pain” in his lower abdomen and thought it was appendicitis. Accordingly SWNSShe underwent surgery to remove the organ, and that’s when doctors unexpectedly discovered that she had not one, but two uteruses.

“[The doctors] “He said it looked like there were two uteruses, but he didn’t say much when I had my appendix removed,” Curran recalled.

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Curran underwent further testing and was eventually officially diagnosed with: fully bicorporeal uterusThis means that it has two separate uterine cavities separated by a wall of tissue. (Only 0.4% of women are born with this rare condition, Cleveland Clinic.)

She also told SWNS that subsequent scans revealed she had two cervixes and “may have had an extra kidney”. So was Curran. endometritis was diagnosedDoctors said this could contribute to her painful periods.

According to Curran, “[There are] “I haven’t been told many treatment options yet, so it’s a waiting game now.”

He is currently on the waiting list for additional tests and is scheduled to have surgery in May.

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Curran says PEOPLE will face difficulties getting pregnant if they choose to have children.

“I usually had to get pregnant in the left uterus, because it’s bigger than the right and the left uterus is safer,” she explains.

Call center worker Curran shares her story in hopes of helping others. “I want to spread awareness and find girls who are going through things similar to what I’m going through right now,” she says.

As for her advice for other women dealing with the same or similar situations? “Women, you know your own body better than anyone. If you feel like something isn’t right, don’t stop fighting for answers,” Curran tells PEOPLE.

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