My word should have been enough

[EthelsAuntie]

A couple of weeks ago, I was admitted to hospital. I had severe abdominal pain, no appetite, being violently sick, couldnt even keep water down. I hadn't been to the toilet for a wee or a poo for at least 24hrs.
The dr wanted to send me for an x-ray of my tummy but wouldn't send me until I got a confirmed negative on a pregnancy test.
I repeatedly told them that I wasn't pregnant. I knew that I wasn't pregnant. However because I'm married they said they needed to do the test. This seriously held up proceedings. They had to put me on a drip. They probably would have done that anyway. But they had to wait for hours until I was able to go for a wee. Then they did a test on it and only then did they request the X-ray because lo behold I was not pregnant.
It turned out to be extremely serious and I needed emergency surgery that took 5 hours.
AIBU to have felt very strongly that they should have taken my word for it. Make me sign something to say that I wasn't pregnant. Fine. Don't just dismiss me because I'm of childbearing age.
I also wonder what would have happened had I been pregnant. Neither I nor a fetus would have survived what the actual problem was had it been left untreated.
It was an awful time and I have to say the constant asking and not taking my word for it did not help. I was feeling like shit. I am a strong, intelligent woman in my 40s but I felt I didn't have a voice to be listened to.

if there MUST be pregnancy tests before medical care in case of lies/mistakes then there should be mandatory upper endoscopies before all general anaesthetic in case you've had a crafty cheeseburger earlier

There are ways of intubating someone if there is uncertainty about last meal. Rapid sequence induction.

A endoscopy isn’t comparable to a simple urine hCG.

BadLad

SolasAnla

You strong, intelligent woman in your 40s engaged in acts of sexual reproduction.

The doctors are aware that no form of birth control is 100% effective.

If you are christian abstinence is no guarantees either🤷🏼‍♀️

I take it you've learned your lesson now. A light-hearted comment like this is beyond many of the posters on AIBU.

😂

Its kind of funny, but at least the posters were brave enough /willing to ask the question.

It an interesting thread, to see how (western) access to contraceptive has changed the default to "must not be pregnant".

@FrankLeeSpeaking

*When I went to the hospital (many years ago) .. they made me take a pg test even though I told them i was a virgin.. I was having a bad migraine and the pain was so bad that i was vomiting. They didn't care that i was a virgin and still insisted i pee on a stick... 🤷‍♀️ just saying that abstinence doesn't work either.*

My 17 year old best friend swore up and down she was a virgin, even when she was in hospital with the positive test. So, sadly, medical staff do have to have evidence and can't take somebodies word for it.

Yes, i totally get that of course. I wouldn't believe a vomiting teenager either 🤷‍♀️

What a horrible experience OP, and I hope you make a full recovery very soon

It shouldn't matter if you're married or not. And I thi nk a hysterectomy should be enough

On the topic of the “well you are married” comment from the clinician. That works both ways, when I’ve had to enquire about whether a patient could be pregnant in the past, I’ve been very snarkily told by several women “well I am married!!”.

No moral judgement hun, just don’t want to inadvertently do anything that could harm your potential unborn.

I had something similar - I'm in my 50's & because I said my periods stopped (like they do with the menopause...) They insisted in doing a pregnancy test which proved that they had stopped due to the... menopause

@ZealAndArdour

if there MUST be pregnancy tests before medical care in case of lies/mistakes then there should be mandatory upper endoscopies before all general anaesthetic in case you've had a crafty cheeseburger earlier

There are ways of intubating someone if there is uncertainty about last meal. Rapid sequence induction.

A endoscopy isn’t comparable to a simple urine hCG.

There didn't seem to be anything 'simple' about what the OP experienced, waiting hours while being very ill just because you can't produce urine for what you know to be an unnecessary test, and would be happy to sign a waiver due to, doesn't sound like a simple urine hCG to me. Sounds about as unpleasant as mandating an endoscopy for every GA. And my point was not about if there was already uncertainty, that's understandable, but you wouldn't do rapid sequence induction either on EVERY patient just because the odd one might be lying/forgot they'd eaten.

@ZealAndArdour been there seen that, working in OR for 13 years

It's possible to have an ectopic pregnancy after a hysterectomy so I think they weee correct in their reasoning .

The most bizarre thing about this is saying it's because you're married !

I don't understand this either - I've had loads of tests, xrays and radioactive scans which would have been harmful to a baby but I've never been asked to prove I wasn't pregnant, just sign something saying I wasnt

@steff13

It's standard when you're having an x-ray to do a pregnancy test. If it took hours for you to be able to go, I'm surprised they didn't offer to catheterize you.

It isn't standard. I have had xrays before and they asked when my last period was or if I could be pregnant. Even when I was sterilised they didn't do a pregnancy test, I just had to abstain for a period of time and keep using contraception. I suspect they wanted to rule out an ectopic pregnancy as part of the investigation but you should contact PALS if you feel you have had unfair treatment.

Unfortunately no, your word shouldn’t have been enough. Some women might be too early pregnant to know yet, still having periods and not realising they are pregnant, etc. and the hospital have a duty to make sure if that was the case that no harm would come to that fetus. If you was in fact pregnant and something they did either cause a miscarriage or a disability in the child, would you sit back and think they took my word for it so it’s fine or would you rain hell down on the hospital? It’s the same procedure for everyone and rightly so.

I think to a certain extent, consultants can decide if they want to go through with a procedure or not based upon the risks involved. Ultimately it would be them on the receiving end of a medical negligence lawsuit and their career at risk if they do not follow what would be considered to be due diligence.

That can include double checking when a patient who claims they’re not pregnant, is due a procedure where pregnancy is a contraindication to the procedure involved. There is no guidance that states “if the patient says X, take them at their word as you will not be held liable if incorrect”. Staff have a duty of care towards patients and need to have a standard baseline to ensure this is met, so have taken the approach of asking for a pregnancy test here to confirm.

Likewise they would have weighed up the implications of operating on OP immediately vs the implications of waiting for a pregnancy test, even with what this entailed as she couldn't easily urinate. They would have been aware asking for the test would have taken more time for the surgery to commence, but ultimately decided it wouldn’t have been detrimental to the end outcome

Yes they have to make sure. They could have opened you up and a procedure may have resulted in the death of a foetus. They would have then had to have brought you round have to tell you, you were pregnant but they have killed the baby. Someone would have then said, why wasn't she tested and investigation launched. However if you couldn't wee they can do blood test instead.

It also possible that if you were severely dehydrated, that they felt it would be safer to wait for the drip to go through before surgery. I also imagine that ruling out an ectopic pregnancy was part of the investigation.

However it sound very distressing for you, and I hope you are feeling better 💐

@EthelsAuntie

A couple of weeks ago, I was admitted to hospital. I had severe abdominal pain, no appetite, being violently sick, couldnt even keep water down. I hadn't been to the toilet for a wee or a poo for at least 24hrs. The dr wanted to send me for an x-ray of my tummy but wouldn't send me until I got a confirmed negative on a pregnancy test. I repeatedly told them that I wasn't pregnant. I knew that I wasn't pregnant. However because I'm married they said they needed to do the test. This seriously held up proceedings. They had to put me on a drip. They probably would have done that anyway. But they had to wait for hours until I was able to go for a wee. Then they did a test on it and only then did they request the X-ray because lo behold I was not pregnant. It turned out to be extremely serious and I needed emergency surgery that took 5 hours. AIBU to have felt very strongly that they should have taken my word for it. Make me sign something to say that I wasn't pregnant. Fine. Don't just dismiss me because I'm of childbearing age. I also wonder what would have happened had I been pregnant. Neither I nor a fetus would have survived what the actual problem was had it been left untreated. It was an awful time and I have to say the constant asking and not taking my word for it did not help. I was feeling like shit. I am a strong, intelligent woman in my 40s but I felt I didn't have a voice to be listened to.

This was me two years ago, mid panedemic, being eventually told I had stage 4 cancer. I hadn’t eaten or drank for 24 hours and they kept on about their pregnancy test. Eventually they went ahead with the cat scan. Sadly I have to have one every three months due to spread and still they insist on talking about pregnancy. It’s not enough I’m trying to stay alive for the two children I have, treatment makes me feel less than romantic, but I’ve had two ectopic pregnancies and only half a reproductive system so what makes them think that the pregnancy test is most important?

CT scan not cat scan.

I work in diagnostic imaging, we have a form that we give women of childbearing age which asks the date of their last period, and if they haven't had a period for over 28 days, why. They read, fill in and sign the form. If there is a possibility they are pregnant we do a test. It's vital that there is a clear record of this conversation taking place, a verbal check isn't enough, but I don't understand why they didn't just do something simple like an LMP form.

It can change the diagnosis and outcome.
You said the foetus wouldn't have survived anyway, but the anaesthetic and surgical team looking after you would have had to know if you were pregnant and how far along anyway - it changes your physiology.
An in and out catheter could have been a solution (with your consent). I've never seen urgent/emergency care dangerously delayed for a urinary pregnancy test, but it is a vital bit of information not just arse covering.
Some women and girls are so scared of admitting it or it is truly unknown to them that they would go along with anything. It's in everyone's best interests to be sure, including yours.

But yes I forgot to ask, could you tell them when your last period was and are they regular etc?

I’ve had a hysterectomy at 37 and they still insist on me having a pregnancy test prior to any procedure and get asked when my last period was at every GP appt. I completely agree, sign something to negate liability but don’t not believe you. You know your own body!

You can have an ectopic pregnancy after a hysterectomy

Women lie about pregnancy for various reasons. How would they know you aren't one of the lying ones?

Just a few posts in and we have the answer - the assumption that women lie, women can't be believed, women are too silly to take agency for their own behaviour.

Its not about "may be mistaken" unless women are assumed to be too stupid to know if they are post menopausal or had a hysterectomy and where it delays treatment or won't change the treatment path as in many of the examples here its just silly.

Women are second class citizens in health care, regularly assumed to lie or be stupid and are infantilised.

Meanwhile, CQC reports that over half of all NHS maternity services are unsafe and its not all about money. Perhaps if they listened to women instead of assuming we are stupid this might change.