An English woman was left unable to conceive a child because she kept an IUD, which a doctor said had “fallen out” in her womb for almost three decades.
- In 1990, a doctor told Jayne Huddleston that her IUD had “fallen out”. So, she decides to ask another one.
- When the patient wanted to start a family, she encountered difficulties in conceiving a child and resorted to IVF.
- After suffering from heavy periods, stomach pains and infections, she discovered that her first intrauterine device had remained in her uterus. It was removed during an operation.
A medical error that she is not ready to forget. In 1990, Jayne Huddleston went to a specialist to have a pap smear. During the consultation, the practitioner informs her that her intrauterine device (IUD) has been expelled from her uterus. After hearing this bad news, she decides to have another IUD inserted. Two years later, the woman, originally from Wistaston (England), withdraws this second method of contraception, because she wants to start a family with her husband.
IVF: “I didn’t get pregnant”
After some time, the couple realizes that they cannot have children. “We were referred to doctors who suggested we have IVF. Even after the first unsuccessful cycles, they didn’t seem too worried. The practitioners said we had good quality embryos and my fertility was proven. (…) Despite other attempts, I did not get pregnant”, told the patient to the British daily The Independent. After the many disappointments, the English decided to give up.
The first IUD remained in her uterus
In 2019, Jayne suffered from heavy periods, stomach pains and contracted infections. “It wasn’t pleasant at all. I remember seeing my GP several times and he told me it was just hormonal,” she remembered. After complaining of back pain, she had several tests, which revealed that her first IUD had in fact not “fallen out” and remained in place.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was devastated. I was crying and couldn’t stop thinking about the babies we should have had. It was a total shock. (…) Everything we went through, all the emotions and then having to get up to try again all felt like a waste I felt like it was all for naught because I still had an IUD in my uterus”, said the woman, now 63.
“I’m not sure we’ll recover from the psychological pain”
After this discovery, the practitioners operated on him, under general anesthesia, to remove the device. “Although my symptoms have disappeared, I am not sure that we will ever recover from the psychological pain of the past 30 years. I hope that by telling our story, I can make some people aware of the problems we have faced. , so that others don’t have to go through what we went through”.
