Causes, Symptoms & Effects of a Tilted Uterus

If you have been diagnosed with a tilted uterus, also known as a tipped uterus or a retroverted uterus you may not understand what this means to you, your fertility or your health. It is important for you to understand what may have caused a tilted uterus, what the symptoms of a tipped uterus are in case you have yet to be diagnosed, the implications it may have on your ability to conceive, and the complications a woman may have due to having a tilted uterus.

Causes of a Tilted Uterus

You may have been one of the 20% of females born in the U.S. with a tilted uterus. A tilted uterus simply means that the uterus is not in a normal up and down placement; it is either tipped forward or back in comparison to where it should be aligned.

Some conditions such as endometriosis, fibroid tumors as well as pelvic adhesions have been noted as a cause for the misalignment of the uterus resulting in retroversion of the uterus.

The cause for a tilted uterus could also come from a previous labor. During labor, either natural childbirth or through a C-section your uterus may have become tipped forward or back.

Some diseases have been shown to be associated with a tilted uterus as well and for other women the cause of their tipped uterus is virtually unknown. Any woman regardless of age or race can be affected.

Signs & Symptoms of a Tipped Uterus

Generally your gynecologist will be able to detect and diagnose a tipped uterus during a normal pelvic exam. You may have symptoms of the condition that bring you to the gynecologist in the first place. Some common signs and symptoms of a tilted uterus may include pain during sex. The medical term is collision dyspareunia; when the penis hits the wall of the cervix and causes pain. The cervix is the neck that leads to the uterus and often a tilted uterus is accompanied by a tilted cervix.

Some women report intense pelvic pain during their menses or during ovulation which could be caused from having a misaligned uterus. Back pain during the woman's monthly cycle is also often reported. A woman with a retroverted uterus could also have issues with inserting a tampon.

A woman with a tipped uterus may also be more prone to urinary tract infections as well as bladder incontinence.

How a Tipped Uterus Affects Sex & Fertility

In a related article about Tilted Uterus or Tilted Cervix I explain how having a tilted uterus or tilted cervix affect fertility. Having a tipped uterus is not a disease but a condition and does not cause a woman to be infertile; it can cause challenges when trying to become pregnant either naturally or with IVF.

For natural conception the fertility problem could be that the woman experiences too much pain during sexual intercourse. In vitro fertilization has its own set of challenges when the doctor goes to insert the embryos. It is important that the doctor do a Mock Transfer Process prior to the actual embryo transfer to ensure he knows how to navigate to the uterus without losing any embryos in the process.

A woman with a tilted uterus may experience issues in her daily life from having a tilted uterus. It is important for the woman to speak with her gynecologist about all possible recommendations of how to handle living with a tipped uterus and what she can do physically or surgically to alleviate this issue. One of the number one complaints is pain during intercourse. Inserts can be placed in the vagina to lessen discomfort but the insert can then cause pain for the male, so it is important for a woman to discuss any options she may have to deal with having a tilted uterus.

Sources:

Retroversion of the Uterus

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001506.htm

What is a Tipped Uterus?

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-tipped-uterus.htm

Tilted Uterus

http://www.tilteduterus.com/