Unborn child 'nearly killed' due to doc's error

A 24-year old mother-to-be from Stockholm nearly aborted her own child after a doctor wrongly diagnosed her as having had a delayed miscarriage.

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Jenny Huber was six weeks pregnant when she went to see a doctor at Stockholm South General Hospital (Södersjukhuset) due to vaginal bleeding.

The doctor was unable to detect any heartbeat for the embryo and assumed Huber had lost her child.

She was prescribed three tablets of Cytotec, commonly known as "abortion pills", designed to induce labour and force the embryo and any remaining tissue out of her body.

However, Huber was scared of the pain the pills would cause her and decided against taking them.

“I was terrified and preferred to have things happen naturally. In addition, I didn't really trust the doctor; she gave me a very mixed impression. I didn’t dare to hope my child was still alive, but it just didn’t feel right to take the pills,” Huber told The Local.

A week after Huber’s visit at the hospital, she started having pains in her stomach and feeling sick. She then went to Huddinge hospital south of Stockholm, as she was wary of returning to the doctor who had treated her at Stockholm South.

A subsequent examination by doctors at the new hospital revealed that Huber's embryo was still alive.

“When they told me that everything looked fine I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked. It took a very long time to understand what had happened,” said Huber.

Huber's pregnancy is now in its thirteenth weeks and she feels fine.

Nevertheless, she remains critical of the doctor who prescribed her the abortion pills, and has lodged a formal complaint against her with Sweden's Medical Responsibility Board (Hälso- och sjukvårdens ansvarsnämnd - HSAN).

“She shouldn't make any decisions of her own. It might sound harsh, but I could have killed my child because of her. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” said Huber.

When contacted by The Local, the doctor from Stockholm South General Hospital refused to comment as she was still unaware she had misdiagnosed Huber's case.

Repeated requests by The Local for a comment from the hospital have so far been left unanswered.