Advice regarding a pregnancy and failed vasectomy

bubbles228

Good Evening,

My husband had a vasectomy back in Sept 2007 had 2 specimen tests and got the all clear from the hospital lab.

I have just found out nearly 2 years later that I am pregnant and I have not cheated on my husband and never would.

I have four children already but a termination is not an option for I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

I feel very stressed as this was not supposed to happen and to make things worse my husband has recently been made redundant.

I am going to seek advice from CAB regarding compensation from NHS as this should never have happened in the first place and this was soooo not planned.

Does anyone know of this happening to them or any advice on making a claim?

I hope to hear from someone.

Thanks

valkirn

Not sure about a claim but a friend of mine has recently had her 5th child (he is now 5 months) after her husband had a vasectomy and had the all clear (there is a 12 year age gap between the 4th and 5th child) all he was told by his doc was that sometimes the tubes can rejoin

My friend went through 12 months of hell with her hubby as he kept accusing her of an affair a dna test soon put paid to that but it has taken its toll x

Hope you find some answers x

Marcheline

I have no advice on the compensation side of things, but i hope in time you will be pleased with the pregnancy, I know where you're coming from with regards termination.

Anyway, and I know this is not directly relevant to the question you asked, BUT I found this site EXTREMELY useful with regard to expecting/bringin up children. You may be able to get help with things as your income has been reduced http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/index.htm

Mrs_Optimist

This sounds like a nightmare. The operation did work for 2 years - so I am unsure how the NHS would be held liable ? Someone better placed than me may argue differently.

I recall reading a similar case a couple of years ago and the claim against the NHS failed and the parents were in the paper bemoaning the fact that their child was unplanned and had caused them extra financial pressure. At the time they were villified because their child would find out at some stage that s/he was not planned nor wanted and had caused financial pressure on the parents.

Strangely my DH and I had the same discussion last week (he had a vasectomy 7 years ago and we have 2 children) Surprisingly he said he would be pleased if I became pregnant - I would be horrified, but like you I couldn't entertain the other options open.

My thoughts are with you and I hope you find a happy ending to what must be a nightmare situation at the moment.

hunnycat

i am sure there is probably been some sort of disclaimer when he signed the initial consent for the operation. I read about female sterilisation recently and it said it was not 100% and as was not 100% all the patients had to sign to say the hospital was not responsible for any children concieved.

I know it must be a tough time and hard to take in.x

snapping_crocodile

There is always a disclaimer on both vasectomy and female sterilisations, in that the tubes can rejoin, therefore you will not be eligible for compensation as the failure rate is always explained. Just like if you are on the pill 1 in 100 women will become pregnant even when taking it correctly, but you cannot sue the pill manufacturers. My friends mum fell pregnant 5 years after she was sterilised and she was shocked to say the least, especially as her youngest at the time was 17!! But she got used to the idea and laughed about being the 1 in 100 that will end up pregnant at some point afterwards :eek:

bubbles228

Thank you for your kind words, as you can imagine it is a huge shock to say the least!!! My husband knows I am faithful but is in shock too!

Savvy_Sue

Hopefully when the shock subsides you will be able to start thinking of this as one of life's happy accidents. There are a lot of them around, as I'm sure you know. I've had to explain to DS3 that there is a BIG difference between being unplanned, and being unwanted. :rotfl:

oystercatcher

Before the consent was signed they should have explained that there is always a very small chance of the tubes growing back together and the operation failing. This is their get out clause so they don't have to pay for the childs upbringing! If you and husband feel that this chance wasn't explained properly then you might have a case against the NHS.

I think this child is just meant to be for some reason. Maybe they will be there to change the world in some way! Prime minister? Nobel prize winner ? Who knows ?

barnaby-bear

bubbles228 wrote: »

I am going to seek advice from CAB regarding compensation from NHS as this should never have happened in the first place and this was soooo not planned.

Does anyone know of this happening to them or any advice on making a claim?

I don't agree with seeking compensation. I don't think you'll get it for a start and it's a waste of energy but you had an expensive procedure for free that gave you a very low probability of conception *any* alternative you would have used would have offered higher chance of failure... except abstaining (an option you could have chosen). So this could have happened anyway. Compensation money would just take resource away from other patients - it's not a faceless organisation - it has a limited budget, if htey turned around and said they didn't have enough money to treat you kids or husband in the future you'd be upset. I don't see how any claim would be successful but in even attempting you'll be forcing the NHS to waste money defending the claim.

Do you think everyone who gets pregnant using condoms or the pill gets money from the manufacturers?

You will be eligible for WTC/CTC/child benefit etc. and I can see the question of infidelity it might raise must be very upsetting but I think it's the same as any other contraceptive method - they are never 100%.

bubbles228

Hi,
I take your point on board regarding a claim but we were under the impression that it was 100% sorted as it was confirmed by the hospital that there was no sperm there and that we could now have unprotected sex.

We were never told that the vas could grow or rejoin which is what must have happened, if we knew this could happen then I would have got sterilized too to limit the risk further but at least we would have been informed correctly.