Did you know that one in every four or five women is walking around with a bent or tilted womb?

Many women have a bent womb and do not realise this condition may affect their chance of getting pregnant.

 In this post, let’s discuss:

• What is a bent womb? 

• Just how does it affect your chance to get pregnant if you have it – and how can you get pregnant with a bent womb?

What is a Bent (or Tilted) Womb?

Well, most women have a forward-tilting womb that looks like what you can see on the image below.

It means the upper part of the womb lies slightly angled forward and tipped towards the bladder and the front of the body.

On the other hand, the term bent womb is used when the womb tilts away in the opposite direction towards the back, as you can see in this next image.

What does this mean physically? How do women get it? Could you tell if this is what is happening to your womb?

Causes of a Bent Womb

Mostly, having a bent womb is due to your genetics, and you are born with it.

But sometimes, the direction the womb lies may change due to conditions such as:

• When the pelvic muscles that hold up the womb become weak, such as during menopause or previous childbirth, the womb angles backwards.
• An enlarged womb during pregnancy or having a mass in the womb, like fibroids or cancer, can cause the womb to become tilted.
• If a woman has internal scars, also known as adhesions from previous surgery, or infections like PID or from endometriosis, the scar tissues can pull on the womb, making it bend backwards.

How you may Feel with a Bent Womb

Most women may have no symptoms.

 But if you do, they may include:

• Pain in your lower abdomen or pelvis – and pain during sex
• Developing pain in the lower back, which can also happen in the back during sex
• experiencing problems with bowel opening like constipation
• You may experience menstrual pain or cramping; some women may occasionally leak a little urine or be incontinent; they may also get repeat urine infections, and sometimes, wearing tampons is uncomfortable.

Diagnosing a bent womb could be performed by a pelvic examination or via an ultrasound scan.

What are your chances of Pregnancy with a Bent Womb?

So, could a bent womb affect the chance of pregnancy?

Now, contrary to what you may think, having a bent womb does not usually affect your ability to become pregnant.

In other words, it is not the first few reasons Drs consider when trying to address the cause of infertility in a woman.

A bent or tilted womb does not mean the tubes are blocked or that the cervical canal is abnormal.

 But having checked other more common causes like issues with ovulation, tube abnormalities, and so on, an abnormal womb structure may be thought related.

Effect on Fertility

Now, if you experience pain during sex, that could affect how often you have it and thus fertility.

 So if you have a bent womb and experience painful sex or back pain during sex, changing sexual positions can help.

The best examples are shallow positions like spooning or the modified missionary position (which I cannot show here due to YouTube’s guidelines). Or simply experiment to see which position best suits you and have sex regularly.

 Some people also think a bent womb may prevent the sperm from getting where it needs to be for fertilisation.

 Again, that impression is not correct.

 But if it makes you feel better, you could place a cushion or pillow under your hips during sex or stay in place for about 30 minutes after – to help. 

 So, if you want to get pregnant and have a tilted or bent womb, relax.

 You will most likely have no problem falling pregnant—in fact, pregnancy often causes the womb to tilt back as it grows.

 In most cases, the baby grows fine, and there are no problems with labour or delivery.

Living with a Bent Womb

So, generally, a bent womb doesn’t cause any serious problems – but it’s good to see if there is an underlying cause.

 Pelvic floor exercises could help strengthen weak muscles and improve the womb position, while some women may need a pessary to hold the womb in place – check out my video here on vaginal rings to learn how that works.

More Reading

• Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Yoga for Managing Fibroid Symptoms
• Painful Periods – a Simple Breakdown by AskAwayHealth
• Trying To Conceive but Dripping Semen After Sex – Should I Worry?
• Age Effects on Fertility – Your Chance of Parenthood
• 5 Reasons You Didn’t Know For Vaginal Bleeding After Sex

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Editing by AskAwayHealth Team

Disclaimer

All AskAwayHealth articles are written by practising  Medical Practitioners on a wide range of healthcare conditions to provide evidence-based guidance and to help promote quality healthcare. 

The advice in our material is not meant to replace the management of your specific condition by a qualified healthcare practitioner.
To discuss your condition, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a health practitioner or reach us directly.

Image Credits: Canva