Estimated Prevalence of Müllerian Anomalies

Among 167 women who underwent laparoscopic sterilization in the course of one year, 1.2% were found to have a bicornuate uterus. Of them, 111 were offered follow‐up by hysterosalpingography (HSG), and the history of their menstrual pattern as well as reproductive potential was recorded. Evaluation of the HSG exposures revealed 3.6% moderately to severely septate uteri (H/L > 0.20), and a total of 15.3% had fundal anomalies IH/L > 0.10). In women who had always had normal fertility and menstrual cycles of less than 35 days, the corresponding frequencies of septate uterus were 1.2% and 11.8% respectively. Among women who had had oligomenorrheic periods exceeding one year in duration, the frequency of müllerian anomalies was significantly higher (21.1% at H/L > 0.20 and 36.8% at H/L > 0.10) than in the above‐mentioned groups. A control group of infertile oligomenorrheic women revealed that the material was comparable with previously published populations as regard the occurrence of minor müllerian anomalies. It is concluded that the HSG‐diagnosed prevalence of developmental uterine anomalies is in general somewhat higher than usually assumed.