A woman with a history of two past ectopic pregnancies, where the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, underwent in vitro fertilization treatment to help her become pregnant a third time. She was told she should start being abstinent the next day, so she proceeded to have intercourse the evening after the procedure but before the very next day. Three days later, she was told to use Ovidrel to facilitate ovulation and healthy egg development, and had an egg retrieval procedure performed twelve hours later. While waiting the two weeks between her Ovidrel and implementation procedure, she discovered that she had missed a period and had become pregnant. Almost a month after the original insemination date, she awoke in excruciating pain at 1 in the morning, and was diagnosed with another ectopic pregnancy at the ER later that morning. She was rushed into an emergency operation, where a ruptured fallopian tube was discovered and removed. It was alleged that the patient should have been advised to avoid sexual intercourse sooner, and an expert in ectopic pregnancies was asked to comment on the case.
Question(s) For Expert Witness
1. Do you routinely treat patients like the one described in this case?
Expert Witness Response E-001024
I routinely see ectopic patients, including after IVF. I have one publication on ectopic pregnancy, and would be qualified to review the patient’s medical records as I am currently the Director of an IVF clinic
About the author
