how can i stop them from finding out about my termination....

[purple23]

I had a termination about a year ago.My doctor was very unsupportive even though i was in floods of tears he sent me away to think about it for a few wks instead of at least refering me to a counsellor. Any way i ended up going priviate. I then went to a family planning centre for my after care and contraception.So my GP didnt have any input.

Since then i lost all faith in my doctor and never visited him for anything until the other day when i needed a prescription for the pill as the f/p was closed.Thankfully i saw the nurse but as she did my bp i noticed on the screen as it was tilted towards me my medical notes it said about how i was upset about being pregnant and asked for a termination etc but was told to think about it etc.There was obviuosly no conclusion written. Now im dreading ever going to the surgery in case they ask questions. Also i want to try for another baby and am terrified of the midwife seeing those notes or asking questions.

I know when they do surgery they will have those notes open. What can i say is there a way of asking them to wipe those notes or if i change surgeries will they be hidden. Its the fact that its right there on the screen for all to see as i havent been doctors for anything else.As if i dont feel bad as it is.

switch surgeries!

i had a twunt for a GP and sorry, but i do NOT want my life in the hands of someone i feel uncomfortable with.

so i looked and went elsewhere.

Purple23, I'm sorry this is causing you such anxiety. You can write to the practice manager or senior partner, saying you were distressed to see such a sensitive issue being brought up on screen. You could request that, since the notes don't actually refer to any treatment or investigations, they could be kept off the electronic version. Don't know how far your surgery has gone to transferring everything to screen not paper, but might be worth trying.

When they were dreaming up the proposal for a fully fledged electronic record, one suggestion was to have a sealed section, where patients could choose to put anything that they wouldn't want to be shared.

Purple23, when you go in for a booking in appointment the midwives ask you as routine if you've been pregnant before, I think it's pretty important they have an accurate history for you.... but they wont go into a big discussion about it.

I second expat - find a new doc! Life is too short to stress about this everytime you go in. I had an abortion many years ago and for a long time i simply omitted it from my history. If you had no complications from it, it really shouldn't matter.

If you had no complications from it, it really shouldn't matter.

EXACTLY! I was shocked when I first went to the midwife and they asked that. I mean, if it doesn't affect teh care you need to receive now - such as if you've had recurrent miscarriages or Rh -, I don't see where it's their business. And at any rate that stuff shouldn't be left on a screen for all to see!

FFS, this surgery sounds VERY unprofessional. Been there! In fact, I need to write a response letter to my lying sack of shit former GP, who claimed infants were vaccinated for diptheria, polio, whooping cough, haemophilus, influenza type B and tetanus. Yeah, you really had a conversation w/me about this vaccine that doesn't exist, dipshit.

I'd complain about this waster GP to teh GMC, too.

The thing is i was obviuosly very distraught and whether he agreed with termination or not he still should of refered me for counselling.I wanted to act fast on my decision and so telling me to come back in 2 wks is a joke. In the end i found a couselling service in the yellow pages-they turned out to be anti-abortion. I wasted 3kws because of that gp.Tbh of havent complained because i wanted to forget. When i saw the nurse she made a comment that i havent been for a long time. Do you just the feeling when they are sort interigating you.I think i will switch gps. Do think the electronic notes will be put into a file and that the new GP will have a blank screen iykwim.

The thing is i was obviuosly very distraught and whether he agreed with termination or not he still should of refered me for counselling.I wanted to act fast on my decision and so telling me to come back in 2 wks is a joke. In the end i found a couselling service in the yellow pages-they turned out to be anti-abortion. I wasted 3kws because of that gp.Tbh of havent complained because i wanted to forget. When i saw the nurse she made a comment that i havent been for a long time. Do you just the feeling when they are sort interigating you.I think i will switch gps. Do think the electronic notes will be put into a file and that the new GP will have a blank screen iykwim.

Its horrible that i have to worry about this and yes i could tell the m/w i want it to be kept confidential etc. But obviously they will guess what the conclusion was. If those notes werent on screen then they wouldnt think anything. I just couldnt bare any horrible negative comments because its still a very sensitve subject. And i know what these GPs and older m/ws can be like i had enough negative comments about not being married when i had my first baby and that was from another GP surgery.

Just don't transfer your records to the new GP. Unless you have some ongoing medical problem or something in your history that would affect future treatment, they really don't need your records. If the new office asks about (which they probably won't) you can just say something vague about not having had a regular doctor for a while or something like that. And don't put down the name of your former doc on your new information form. After all, it really is your private information to share - or not - with whomever you decide.

If you feel that bad then I would change surgeries. Also your GP behaved awfully. Your MW wouldn't mind if you had an abortion, i'm sure many women do and doesn't mean anything, a baby for you then clearly wasn't the right time and how can they judge when they didn't know the circumstances and they are not you... It is your choice!
I would guess tho if you do transfer surgeries, your records will follow you. But explain how you felt, life IS too short to worry about what ppl think!

IME, notes (electronic or not) have been transferred BUT, how do they know you didn't miscarry?! My friend was all set for a termination (privately arranged) and the week before, she miscarried.

I had a termination many years ago and was quite prepared to tell my MW, having read that they needed to know and she didn't even make a note of it, simply said it didn't matter.

I'm sorry you've had such a bad run, sounds like the practice itself is really putting you off and haunting you. Try all the above advice and, in the end, you can omit the facts if you feel you need to (ie you miscarried but were still very upset about the way you were unsupported etc)

JW I am sure they would match you up when they apply for a new NHS number for you so I am not sure if you can sidestep geting history like that.

Purple23 I agree I think you need a GP, no matter what happens you should feel able to rely on your practice for sensible and sensitive treatment.

Purple, btw, I agree that your GP should not have treated you like that. It was unethical. You consulted him for legally-available healthcare and he tried to prevent you accessing this. Unfortunately some GPs make it their business to obstruct women seeking abortions, which is wrong and unprofessional. If they are anti-abortion, they should refer patients to another doctor who can help. Just as a devout catholic GP who was anti-contraception shouldn't obstruct a patient getting the pill. If you feel up to dealing with this, it would be worth making a complaint to the practice manager.

oops, my mistake. Records are handled much differently in the US. Only the patient can authorize a transfer.

Purple, I doubt whether the nurses comments were made in a prying way (its understandable that you would be feeling very sensitive though)

Your experience with the GP was shocking, but i wouldn't necessarily assume that everyone else at the surgery feel the same way or is judging you.

Don't be afraid to mention the termination to your midwife either, they are professionals and won't judge you, im sure.

Is there another GP at the surgery that you could switch to? If not, perhaps it would be best to move surgeries and make a clean break. You deserve to look forward now to your planned baby and shouldn't be having to worry about this.

You poor thing. Doctor sounds like an unprofessional tw*t, to be honest.

I would switch surgeries/doctors, they do eventually pass your records on, I think, but I would imagine the new doctor would not make a big deal out of the notes etc.
You have a right to be treated by someone who treats you professionally, which this one obviously didn't, and please don't be afraid to look further afield until you find a doctor you trust. It makes me sick that in this day and age we can't be treated like human beings! no matter what the doctor's personal beliefs he or she has a duty of care.

Wishing you all the best with a new doctor,

I very much doubt that a M/W asking about any previous pregnancies will bat an eyelid. Im sure that they have come across many a situation and will not judge you.

If you are unhappy with your GP, change, but do not feel ashamed about your medical past and the decisions you made that were right for you at the time. Its nobody elses business anyway.

sorry if this has been suggested already, but just say you had a miscarriage. End of story, mind your own business.

hi purple23,
Just to let you know that i had a termination 5 years ago and am now expecting my first baby.I would have love to have left it in the past but it is Very important that when you conceive the midwife dealing with you knows about it because of various things mainly in my case blood type..because i am negative and fiance is positive there is a rhesus incompatibilty which is fine left untreated with your first.If you however have had a termination or is not your first child your blood may have mixed with the foetus blood during the termination or labour and your body may have built up anti bodies to attack that foreign body next time it becomes in contact which could be a risk for your baby.hope this makes sense. I wasnt going to say anything to my gp as i moved to Spain but decided id better and he said it was v imptnt that i had told him and now i have had a simple injection that will prevent any probs..............sorry to go on!!!

Agree with steff, It is really important that any medical professionals dealing with you or your pregnancy have a full medical history. It is sad and unfortunate that the professionals(ie Doc) in the past haven't met acceptable standards. Hopefully the ones in the future will.

yeah but if you are Rh positive and had no complications from the termination, then it honestly doesn't matter and is none of their business, especially as completely unprivate as it seems to be w/the NHS .

do switch surgeries, purple, you deserve someone professional.

Message withdrawn

It sounds as though you need to change surgeries if you are that unhappy with your doctor.

I think it is likely that a midwife would ask you directly about previous pregnancies,(It was definitely a standard question at both my booking in appointments) but it isn't something you should feel you have to lie about, and it is highly unlikely that it would ever be mentioned again. I think that a midwife who would be shocked everytime she found out somebody had had a termination would spend alot of her life being shocked. They are there to provide care, not pass judgement.

'They are there to provide care, not pass judgement. '

If only all GPs understood this. My last one was a frustrated university lecturer - and a shite one at that. I finally told him that if he enjoyed preaching, he'd best go back to school and study divinity.