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?

Hope it went OK iin surgery. Awful t g at you have had such poor care.

Thinking of you op hoping today has gone as well as possible and you're finally getting the treatment you're legally entitled to receive.

Get advice ASAP on getting your milk supply increased.

I agree wholeheartedly that their disregard for an already existing baby just goes to show the misogynistic hypocrisy of anti abortionists!

It's not about the babies it is about judging and controlling women!

Also thinking of you today. I hope it’s all gone well. I’m sure they’ll be more knowledgable people here but my advice on getting your supply up is drink plenty, eat well, let your baby nurse as often as he/she wants including for comfort, lots of skin to skin cuddles and try and pump if you can. Your supply will take 2-3 to catch up from doing that but if already well established it will hopefully come without too much trouble.

Thanks everyone. I am home now. I finally got correct treatment from a different ward (the ward that routinely does d&c and terminations). The doctor I saw today wished to repeat the scan (I wonder if he is used to fall out from the gyne ward). He said he would absolutely treat me as a case of retained products after termination (or miscarriage) and he was sorry that I’d had to wait. Surprise surprise the scan showed no sack, no heartbeat but there were retained products, which he removed and gave me an antibiotic. His view was that this was the correct and safest form of treatment given my fairly recent history of sepsis and it all seems to have gone smoothly. I asked if he had seen the 1st scan. He said he had and his words were something along the lines of ‘I’m not saying their interpretation was necessarily wrong but it wasn’t a viable pregnancy at that point regardless and I will treat you retained products of miscarriage, not an elective termination’. It seems that the gyne ward refuse to deal with anyone with slight complications from terminations and are happy to wait until the next opportunity to send them to another ward, no matter what is actually best for the patient at that time. I really worry for women who need that out of hours care. It’s negligence, pure and simple. I will off course be complaining as much as I can and I think I will contact relevant press who I think would be happy to publicise that women are having care pathways that have been recommended by doctors blocked like this. Thanks again everyone for your support and help, I can’t tell you how much it means just to know that I’m not going completely mad and that you all agree my treatment has been lacking. Still thinking of all women in NI too and what an absolute abhorrent situation it all is. to everyone who has shared their personal stories.

I will also add that I’m a massive supporter of the nhs normally and I’ve never received care that has been lacking in the past. This has been a bit of an eye opener. I commend the nursing staff, the HCAs, and the doctor that I saw today for their compassionate care.

So glad to hear that you received the right treatment (and diagnosis). It is horrific what has happened but take your time to get your strength back and then definitely make as many complaints as possible to everyone and anyone

Very glad to hear you're home having received (eventually!) the correct Dx and treatment.

Also glad to hear you will be complaining.

You should never have been treated as you have, no woman should buy particularly not in Britain in 2019!

It seems that the gyne ward refuse to deal with anyone with slight complications from terminations

That is awful!

So glad you finally got the treatment you needed.

I am so relieved to hear you are ok and you are home now having finally got the care you needed.

I'm.just sorry you had to go through what you did.

I hope you are finally feeling better

I’m so, so glad you are OK. Also that you saw a decent human being and professional, who was honest with you, and treated you with respect.
Please allow yourself some time, physical and emotional care to recover - and to feed your baby non-stop!
I am full admiration for how strong you have been. Hope this makes the unit reflect on the appalling care you have had up to today x

So glad you're ok and home OP

It's the case that drs can opt out of doing abortions, if there's a heartbeat it's a surgical abortion. They haven't refused treatment just delayed it

Glad you've been treated and are home. I hope you're blissfully reunited with your baby now and having lots to drink and eat.

So glad to hear you are ok and back home too. I hope your DC are ok and especially your breastfeeding one, hope all is well there.

It really makes me think that there should be some sort of Govt. mandate or standard for all hospitals with Obs &Gynae wards to ensure that have staffing appropriate to emergency needs at all times and that , also, Doctors in those professions to have to declare their views in order to ensure rotas meet the standard at all times. To be honest I think if you have such religious views you should be barred from practicing in these areas but perhaps I am being too outraged on your behalf.
Best wishes to you OP for a speedy recovery.

Pleased to hear that this is finally sorted. And yes - do complain. There's a real challenge to women's rights and autonomy popping up all over the place and a gynae ward should be the last place to find it.

Glad to see it's been resolved so well. I strongly support your intention to complain. It's not just for you, it's for all the other women who will encounter these doctors.

I complained to the hospital about my first delivery. My GP told me that if confident articulate women like me didn't complain no one else would. So, not being immune to flattery, I did.

I’m really glad you’re home and now taken care of properly. I’m sorry again you had to go through this. It’s not ok, I’m glad you’re going to complain. This is a very sad and unfair situation.

Glad you’re home Tinytea and I’m so pleased you were treated well today.

I have had some dreadful treatment over the past few years in hospitals, and I can say from experience that you will need some time to heal mentally from this. Be kind to yourself, just go with it and let the feelings come - I’ve found that’s the best way to process everything so you’re not running over and over it endlessly. I don’t know how old your baby is but 2-4 hourly pumping over a 24 hour period is hell on earth but very good for re-establishing supply. Sending lots of love, just glad you are ok

thanks for the update, so pleased to hear you've now been treated correctly

so glad to hear this, and I hope you and the family all start to feel much better very soon.

Glad you are finally out of there OP and that you at last saw someone with some compassion.

No one should've treated you like it was a termination at all. I'm so appalled at your treatment.

Tinytea So happy you got the right treatment at last.
And yes to making a complaint if you feel up to at some point. I'm sure there are women here who can help you with it if you need. (I'm not so eloquent and also wanted to apologise to you for cursing at someone in a post ) I'm in Ireland and they have now legalised abortions, and yet some hospitals won't preform them, unfortunately I feel like I will hear more stories like yours.

So glad you're home and okay, Tiny - please take the greatest care of yourself as the first priority and pursue this as far as you can when ready

So glad you are home. 30 years ago after a birth with epidural, some placenta was left behind. After 10 days of pain and bleeding I was told I had to have a surgical procedure and that if I didn't my life would be at risk.I wanted to mention this because it is not only miscarriage or termination that can result in retained product. My second birth was in a different hospital where they pieced the placenta together to make sure nothing was left behind, so perhaps most hospitals do this now. I assume that if retained products are not removed, sepsis could result. Anyway, tiny, you deserve some huge treat after what you have been through.