I’ve just been denied medical management of a failed abortion

[Tinyteatime]

I had a medical termination last Saturday, 7 weeks pregnant after my coil failed. Thought it had passed relatively easily so came away on a short holiday with my family luckily only 1.5 hours away from home. Started heavy bleeding and bad cramps yesterday, came to a&e as as advised by the BPAS clinic as I was flooding a pad and blood leaking through my trousers. Passed some very large clots. Internal scan reveals what they think is a foetal heart beat still in there. I’ve been in hospital one night and they said they would do the surgery on me this morning. I’ve just been told that all the doctors available won’t perform the procedure due to religion. This in the U.K. in 2019, in a hospital that offers abortion services. They’ve said I can stay another night and have it tomorrow, I have a breastfed baby that I’ve already been away from for one night, I’m in pain, bleeding and I’ve already had sepsis last year from a womb infection whilst giving birth so I’ve raised infection risk as a concern. I feel so angry about this. Would they deny women treatment for miscarriage? Or is it because there may still be a foetal heartbeat present? Is it simply because I’ve chosen to end the pregnancy myself? How in an nhs hospital can women be denied healthcare like this?

If we stop allowing health professionals to have their own ethics, and morals, and make them simply slaves that do what the patient wants, and is legal, I think we'll be in trouble.

Simply put that is a shit argument.

I have to treat men who have been abusive, boy do they scream if they get a scratch, meanwhile the partner, female, is being stitched up and having their jaw realigned.

This is a medical need. Morals have confounded the issue here.

If we stop allowing health professionals to have their own ethics, and morals, and make them simply slaves that do what the patient wants, and is legal, I think we'll be in trouble.

Thank you for that excellent example of the problem in microcosm: a whole lot of arrogance, focus on the best interests of the health professionals, with a lack of care or even basic respect for patients, or any form of patient centred care.

Oh gosh tiny I'm appalled to hear it's got even worse.

Its unbelievable that anyone could be treated like this. And its unbelievable how they can literally treat people who have done horrific things without blinking yet a woman is left to suffer when she is trying to exercise her legal right to medical care.

Conscientious objection is nothing more than enshrining mysoginistic sexism and hatred of women into law. If it was truly religious grounds there would be dozens of things they refused to do.

bigglesworth that may be the case now, as I’m in no direct danger but last night I was told by two sets of doctors that they would need to do surgical management because I was bleeding very heavily. They said I would be 1st on list this morning (gyne not emergency, I’ve never asked to be treated as an emergency apart from when I thought I was haemorrhaging so went to a&e as advised by BPAS). The reason I’ve not had management today is 100% because the on call gynes object religiously, they have told me this. So because I’m no longer bleeding badly they can refer me back to the outpatient dept that usually does d&c. The doctor I saw last night himself talked about infection risk and that being a reason for getting on with the surgery, so it may be low but it’s not non existent.

Oh, OP. Just sending love and support. Hope you are all better very soon. This is so shocking to read.

i would dial down the drama

Shitty thing to say

@Bigglesworth the OP isn't at any higher risk than a woman with threatened miscarriage.

Im not an objector at all , and yes it is very distressing for OP but this has quite an alarmist thread .

I hope you talked to Sepsis UK, OP? And the BPAS contact you were sent.

This is a fucking outrage. They are playing with fire.

That doesn’t explain why they still said they wanted to surgically manage it after seeing the scan last night. The only reason my care plan changed is because the views of the doctors on call today changed. You take your pro life argument and shove it up your arse, bigglesworth you have no idea what your taking about. I have had a natural miscarriage at 12 weeks, I know how it should play out and I know when bleeding is abnormal.

i would dial down the drama

Easy to be superior when you’re not in pain, missing your baby, worried about serious health risks eh?

Its not a medical need right now @placemats.

This is a very dramatic, alarmist thread, about a woman who is not in danger, and can access the services she needs, for free, tomorrow.

We are not in Gilead. Or even the USA. I hope you're feeling better soon.

To the poster who said previous womb infection does not put you at risk of having it again, that's true, but OP has had sepsis before, and therefore is at risk of having it again.

And Bigglesworth how dare you tell OP to dial down the drama. If I were her, I'd be dialling it up a notch, except I have been there and I know it gets to a point where you simply don't have the energy anymore.

"If this fetus is live,"

Well Op had an abortion almost a week ago, so there should be no possiblity & perhaps Op shouldn't be being treated as if it is a possibility.!

What is the best, safest care this patient should receive.
What is the treatment she needs.
When is the optimal time for that treatment.
What is best for this patient.

These are the only questions.

Breastfeeding patient with failed TOP, haemorrhage, recent sepsis from a womb infection. Currently IN hospital. Been separated from her breastfeeding infant.
Originally booked in for treatment. Theatre available. Specialists available.

In NO POSSIBLE WORLD can anyone conclude that it is BETTER for HER to have treatment withheld.

It's obscene.

"This is disgusting. People should not be allowed to practice medicine if they can't see past their own biases and superstitions.

Totally agree, if you can't perform a termination, don't go into medicine, quite simply.

What a horrific situation they have put you in. How very worrying that doctors can refuse to treat a woman and provide care she urgently needs when they could not refuse to treat a man.

until they saw a possible flicker of a heartbeat (which he was even unsure of) when everything changed.
Sorry, did it change when the doctors changed shift, or when they saw the heartbeat?

I believe in choice, but I accept others think differently, and that I don't have the power to compel anyone to do something they think is ethically wrong. In fact, I think that would be ethically wrong.

I would dial down the drama

And I would dial down the uncaring patronising attitude.

*"If this fetus is live,"

Well Op had an abortion almost a week ago, so there should be no possiblity & perhaps Op shouldn't be being treated as if it is a possibility.!*

Medical TOPs have a failure rate. That should be mentioned at consent stage.

Bigglesworth you're not pro-life, you're pro-forced-birth. Be honest.

OP, I'm so sorry you're having to go through this

Totally agree, if you can't perform a termination, don't go into medicine, quite simply.

Haha, we'd be very short staffed!

Can we please lay off the attacks on a woman who is in a distressing situation in hospital.