Not a lot of people can believe a mum can get pregnant despite an IUD. An intrauterine device (IUD) is a tiny device put in a woman’s uterus to prevent pregnancy. It is a long-term reversible and one of the most effective birth control methods.
Talking about IUDs, a certain doctor constantly told her patients that IUDs offer 99% effectiveness. However, despite having an IUD, the doctor herself finds it difficult to navigate her unexpected pregnancy.
A Mum Doctor Got Pregnant Despite Having IUD
Five weeks earlier, the woman experienced waking up with a feeling of nausea, familiar to her from two prior pregnancies. Eventually, she decided to take a pregnancy test, which came out to be positive.
“It was official: I had gotten pregnant despite an IUD,” said the woman.
According to her, an ultrasound showed the T-shaped device stuck at the top of her uterus. It also shows that the embryo, six weeks and six days old, was wedged below, between the IUD and the cervix.
Due to her unexpected pregnancy condition, the doctor offered her three choices:
- Continue the pregnancy;
- Terminate the pregnancy; or
- Attempt IUD removal, which would likely end her pregnancy.
A Doctor With Little Knowledge About Pregnancy With IUDs
Despite being a doctor, she admitted that she knew little about pregnancies with IUDs. The woman shares that she currently works in primary care. She has consistently told her patients that IUDs are more than 99% effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy.
She also added that none of her patients with IUD has conceived while in her care. Because of that, she never really considered what would happen once her patient of she got pregnant.
How the Mum Doctor Reacted To the Unplanned Pregnancy
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The condition of getting pregnant while having an IUD is risky. Some of these pregnancies end happily, with healthy babies photographed grasping the T-shaped device like rattles in their tiny hands.
Unfortunately, a happy and healthy pregnancy will not always be the case. Many results in miscarriages, and some in severe pregnancy complications. The mum doctor considers keeping her baby despite the risk.
“A smile crept across my face as I imagined an unexpected third child,” she said.
She then decided to let nature take its course:
“If it were meant to be, I would stay pregnant. If not, I would grieve the loss, give thanks for my two sweet kids, and return to the life my husband and I had planned for a family of four.”
Doctors Can Be Very Reassuring but Not Always Right
The woman’s husband was a bit worried about her condition and decision to keep the baby. He then asked her if there would be any risk to her health to ensure that both she and the baby would be safe.
To ease her husband’s worry, she reassures him by saying no. “The risk is to the baby, not me,” the woman said to her husband.
“Doctors can be very reassuring. That doesn’t mean we’re always right,” she added.
During her first trimester, she experienced nausea. It is not as manageable this time as in her two previous pregnancies. At that time, she needed to cancel most of her clinics. Aside from that, she also experienced intermittent bleeding.
Because of her unusual pregnancy conditions, she decided to consult her obstetrician. She got an ultrasound and followed her doctor’s recommendation to have her blood and urine tested.
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Fortunately, all the results came out normal. A swab for flue and COVID was negative. Despite all the good results of her medical tests, her condition was not improving.
Thirteen hours after her blood had been drawn, the machine monitoring her blood samples for bacterial growth sounded an alarm. It indicates a life-threatening staph infection that was raging in her bloodstream.
They could not find the source of any skin or urine infection symptoms. The woman’s doctor was left with no choice and recommended a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis.
Unfortunately, “CT scans are supposed to be avoided during pregnancy,” said the woman. However, only a CT scan could rule out another hidden source. The IUD most likely caused the infection.
“In order to save my life, I needed to end the pregnancy immediately.”
The doctor then explained the need for an urgent abortion, and the woman consented to the procedure. While she was asleep, the doctors suctioned out her uterus and fished out the IUD.
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