To wonder why the GP didn't test me

[Tealtights]

My last period was 3/3, I have a copper coil. I started spotting pretty much every day from when my last period ended so I made a GP's appointment last Tuesday. I mentioned I'd also had a bit of post coital bleeding which is the element she jumped on and referred me to gynae for colposcopy. I was surprised how disinterested she seemed to be with my coil but understood her concerns with the bleeding. Instead of testing me for anything then and there (when I would have been 4 weeks pregnant, as I now know) she booked me in to see her 10 days later (this Thursday) to do swabs, check my coil threads and pregnancy test.

However, before the weekend I started getting bad pains, today they were all on one side so I thought perhaps I had better test (I hadn't done sooner as I thought the bleeding was a period) and sure enough pregnant.

Been to the hospital, most likely miscarrying but keeping an eye on me in case it does progress as I have a high chance of ectopic due to coil and it could be too soon to see anything on the scan.

It sounds so stupid as I am bless with kids, was obviously actively avoiding pregnancy but still feeling a bit of a loss. And googling when I know I shouldn't I have gotten a bit cross, if I was tested last Tuesday (or recommended to take a test) there's a chance we could have had the coil removed and who knows I might not be miscarrying. Removal reduces risk of miscarriage according to nhs guidelines, if safe to do so. I know that's a stretch, I know statistically the coil would most likely make me miscarry it's what it does, but I feel like as it was completely overlooked I lost the only potential chance, the pains came on Thursday, what would have happened if it was all picked up and removed Tuesday. Just feeling a bit sad, I know I am in fact being unreasonable.

Sorry to hear this OP.

It would have made no difference op, gp
Referred you and did what could be done. Couldn’t have known and wouldn’t have made any difference sorry

Well I dont think that you are being unreasonable to think that your GP could have done more. Surely a pregnancy test, if only to rule it out, is GP 101?!

Whether you would have miscarried or not we will never know, and I am sorry that you appear to be losing the baby. But I would certainly be feeling that the GP's first thought should have been that the coil could have failed, they are not 100% as everyone knows.

You would think a pregnancy test would be a bare mint thing to do! I am sorry you are feeling the loss.

I am not sure getting the coil out would have helped. It’s hard to say either way.

I hope you don’t have an etopic and have to face the medical issues surrounding that. 💐

You had a device fitted because you wanted to avoid pregnancy, it is 99% accurate. Your gp isn’t to blame, unless he somehow forced it upon you, which I’m guessing unlikely. It’s sad if you did have a miscarriage though :(.

Actually the failure rate of the copper coil is just over 2% in a year.

And the OP isnt blaming the GP for its failure or for her miscarriage, just that the GP didnt suggest a PG test at any point. .Had it been suggested then the OP may have been able to get the IUD removed and it may have stopped the miscarriage. It may not have done of course, but the point is tha tthe OP will never know.

You had a device fitted because you wanted to avoid pregnancy... Your gp isn’t to blame

There's a difference between wanting to prevent a pregnancy and being prepared to go through a miscarriage once you're pregnant though.

GPs don't seem to do pregnancy tests at all these days

Firstly I’m really sorry for what you’re experiencing. I’ve been there and it’s horrible so

But secondly you say you’d have only been about 4 weeks pregnant at the time of the appointment. I know some home tests can pick it up at that point but in my experience I’ve not had a reliable positive on a test the same sensitivity as those at the GP much before around 5 weeks. I know lots of people get positives at 4 weeks but there’s a significant proportion who don’t which would have only resulted in you having the same experience as you have had. A blood test would have shown it up, but I guess the GP was working on the balance of probability that you weren’t pregnant and that another week or so would have shown the answer with a much cheaper test. At the time she addressed the symptoms you presented with- spotting and bleeding after sex- neither of these scream pregnancy and she couldn’t possibly have known that you’d end up in pain a couple of days later.

But anyway you know you’re BU and it’s understandable, I was too! But the GP did address the concerns you went in with and doesn’t have a crystal ball (I wish they did too, believe me!)

Thank you, I appreciate the gentleness considering I am on AIBU. Someone has said on another thread that as pregnancy has always been a thing of happiness for me that this is probably why I'm feeling conflicted and sad right now and I think that is true. But there we go, it is what it is.