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Misdiagnosis of ectopic pregnancy can be devastating

On Behalf of | Feb 21, 2019 | Birth Injury |

When one thinks about birth injuries, he or she may first think about the baby getting hurt or sick as a result of a medical mistake. However, during a pregnancy or labor, medical malpractice can also leave a mother in a worsened medical condition. In the worst case scenario, a pregnant woman can even die because of a medical error or oversight.

For example, a handful of New Mexico women will each year experience an ectopic pregnancy. In an ectopic pregnancy, the child does not implant in the womb of the mother but rather starts to grow and develop in the woman’s fallopian tubes.

A child has a very slim chance of surviving an ectopic pregnancy and the condition is also life-threatening condition for the mother. Left untreated, a woman can die or experience serious complications, including permanent infertility.

Unfortunately, ectopic pregnancies are easy to misdiagnose and doctors do in fact misdiagnose them or take unreasonably long in making their diagnosis.

One of the reasons for this is that there are no classic symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy. Some women may show almost no symptoms at all, while in other cases, a woman may suddenly go in to shock because of undetected internal bleeding.

In other cases, the warning signs can be just abdominal pain, vomiting or even dizziness. These sorts of conditions are also present in many other medical conditions.

Still, doctors who are treating women must use their skills and experience to spot this dangerous condition early and respond appropriately. If they fail to do so, a victim may be able to receive compensation for her injuries.

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