One of our Facebook Fan Page friends just asked us, “I have heard that it is harder to get pregnant when you have an anteverted (tipped) uterus, Is this True?”

I would like to address this for her, and share the information with all of you who may be wondering about this. A tipped uterus, which is also known as retroverted or anteverted uterus, is one that that is tilted backwards or forwards away from your belly (as opposed to the more usual straight up and down uterus). About 20% of women are born with a tipped uterus, but in some cases it is caused by childbirth. A tipped uterus is not one of the most commonly discussed factors of infertility and is typically only thought to be problematic when trying to conceive after all other possible reasons for fertility problems have been ruled out.

In a small percentage of women, fertility may be affected by having a retroverted uterus due to the impediment of sperm flow to the uterus for implantation. Many specialists recommend intercourse ‘from behind’ or with the ‘missionary position’ with a pillow propped under your lower back. If you would like to rule this out as a possible reason for conception difficulties, you may see an ObGyn or fertility specialist for a routine pelvic exam. There are procedures such as uterine suspension that can be performed to straighten your uterus which may help improve conception odds.