In 1990, regarding a year following having posed a copper IUD, Jayne was told by her GP that the device had fallen out. She had another IUD inserted, but when she and her husband David decided to conceive two years later, the second device was removed, but the first remained in place. Over the years, Jayne has suffered from many symptoms, including heavy periods, bleeding, stomach pain, and infectionbut she attributed these problems to hormonal imbalances and didn’t realize the IUD was still in place. In 1995, Jayne and David began in vitro fertilization cycles (IVF) in the hope of conceiving a child. Over the next seven years, they underwent eight rounds of IVF, six of which were privately funded, costing them thousands of euros.
A medical error with serious consequences
Doctors always believed that Jayne was fertile and had good quality embryos, but despite all attempts, she never got pregnant. It was a source of great sadness and frustration for the couple. Eventually, they decided they mightn’t bear to keep trying and gave up trying to have a child. It is in 2019which Jayne began to experience back pain and was examined by a doctor. During a routine smearthe doctor has believed to see an IUD and a scan confirmed the presence of the device. That’s when Jayne found out she had actually kept a copper IUD inside her. for 29 years. This news was devastating for Jayne and David. They were confronted with the reality that their inability to conceive a child was due to medical error which might have been avoided. Jayne filed a complaint for medical negligence and obtained a six-figure settlement from the insurers of the GP who fitted him with the IUD (source 1).
Jayne said she was happy his story might be told so other women would know he is important to ask for in-depth examinations and not always to trust the explanations given by doctors. She also said she hopes her experience will make medical professionals aware of the potential consequences of their actions and omissions.