Gynecology is the branch of medicine that works specifically with organs specific to women. A gynecologist can make sure that a woman’s sexual organs are functioning properly and aid a women through her pregnancy. Gynecologists are often called “the women doctors” because their study consists of only females. While these doctors are necessary to guarantee a patient’s well-rounded health, there are times that gynecologists can fail in their duty to keep patients safe. Often dealing with the female organs is a delicate practice, and when a doctor isn’t careful he can end up making mistakes that can alter a woman’ s life.

Recently, a plaintiff in Luzerne, Pennsylvania alleged that her loved one’s gynecologist failed to remove an ovary during surgery, which increased her risk of ovarian cancer. Eventually, the patient died because of the negligence. She was diagnosed with inoperable ovarian cancer and died at age 58. The decedent says that her issues became evident when she was taken to the emergency room and diagnosed with a pelvic cyst the size of a soccer ball. The woman was taken into surgery for a full hysterectomy to get rid of the malignant cyst, yet the doctor chose only to remove part of the sexual organs. The decedent claimed that the gynecologist had not followed protocol by failing to remove the left ovary as commanded. Eventually the woman died from the negligence.

In another tragic occurrence, a woman from New York City was given a cone biopsy which perforated her uterine wall. She was sent home after surgery and assured that she would be fine. However, she later ended up in the emergency room with severe abdominal pain and was forced to undergo an emergency abdominal hysterectomy. This woman obtained over $1,000,000 in damages after the incident. Gynecologists have also been sued for failing to diagnose issues like abdominal teratoma. One woman from Los Angeles was told to undergo various surgeries and then her doctor apologized and said that he had made a mistake. All of her costly surgeries had been unnecessary. The plaintiff was able to recover between $100,000 and $499,999 for the malpractice.

According to one New York Medical Malpractice and Accident lawyer, one of the most common gynecologist mistakes is failing to recognize an ectopic pregnancy. This is a pregnancy when the baby develops outside of the uterus. Because the fetus is inside the fallopian tubes instead, it can present very real dangers. The ectopic pregnancy can be discovered through blood tests which will determine whether hormone levels like Beta HCg are rising. Also, a sonogram can help to evaluate where the baby is developing. If this condition isn’t caught right away, then both mother and baby will probably die when the pregnancy ruptures. When a person is diagnosed with one of these tragic pregnancies, then the gynecologist will need to perform a salpingectomy or a salpingostomy.

Also, gynecologists may misread their patient’s test results, as happened to a doctor in New York State. This man was not diligent when looking through his patient’s tests, and eventually misread a client’s pap test in a way that cost her her health. The plaintiff in this case obtained $495,000 in damages, but will never get her health back. Gynecologists are also sometimes responsible for birth injuries. For example, a woman in Fairfield County, Connecticut sued for over $1,000,000 and won her damages after the doctor failed to deliver one of her twins by emergency C-Section. The first twin was delivered safely, but the second was neglected, leaving the child with spastic quadriplegia. If you have been harmed by a gynecologist, then don’t be afraid to take your complaint to court. You deserve damages for the pain that you have suffered!