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A mother-of-five has launched a petition calling for better training for medical staff to recognise the signs of life-threatening pregnancy complications after her symptoms were missed and she was left needing emergency surgery.
Sarah Alves, 38, lost her baby last month as a result of an ectopic pregnancy.
This potentially life-threatening complication happens when a fertilised egg implants outside the uterus, and results in the loss of the pregnancy.
Mrs Alves is calling for better training for staff after her severe pain and bleeding was dismissed by a doctor – only for her to require emergency surgery days later.
“Women shouldn’t be fobbed off," she said.
Two weeks ago, when she was around 10 weeks pregnant, Mrs Alves visited the Emergency Department due to unexplained bleeding.
Despite explaining her symptoms and requesting to see a gynaecologist, she was told none were available and that her bleeding was "not a cause for concern".
Pictured: Sarah Alves is a 38-year-old mother of five.
Mrs Alves said: “The doctor asked to see my [sanitary] pad but because there wasn’t a lot of blood on it, she told me that I was not having a miscarriage."
Two days later, she returned to the hospital due to "excruciating pain", nausea, headaches, and heavy blood loss.
Mrs Alves was then diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy and required emergency surgery.
She described waiting for hours before being wheeled through the maternity theatres on her way to have her surgery – an experience she said was "awful" – and remained in the hospital for six days in total.
Mrs Alves said that she has not yet received counselling for the loss of her pregnancy as her appointment was cancelled.
After filing a complaint about the way her symptoms were dismissed, Mrs Alves was told the doctor had "followed the right protocol and nothing else is going to be done about it".
The 38-year-old said she was "shocked" by this response.
"Why are we never listened to and made to feel like we don't matter?" she said.
"It's a horrible thing to go through and there needs to be more training done around this subject.
"There needs to be a change in the way women are treated within our healthcare."
This experience prompted the mother-of-five to start a petition calling for more training for doctors in the Emergency Department to understand the signs of ectopic pregnancy.
The petition, which is currently awaiting approval, reads: "I believe there needs to be more training at recognising the signs of ectopic pregnancies and therefore doctors should have more training around this subject.
"Also when a woman is bleeding during any stage of pregnancy they should be seen by a specialist gynaecologist and not fobbed off by our healthcare professionals."
After Mrs Alves shared her story on social media last week, many islanders took to the comments to share similar experiences of having their concerns around miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies downplayed by medical staff until their condition worsened.
One woman commented: "The exact same thing happened to me in maternity. I was bleeding at six months, and they wouldn't believe me."
Another said: "I relate to this experience so much. In August of last year, I was dismissed multiple times during visits to the Emergency Department.
"I was treated like I was being dramatic and told to go home and rest. I was at the Emergency Department three times over three days before they decided to let me see a doctor who would agree to scan me.
"Only after the scan did they realise I had suffered an ectopic pregnancy which had ruptured my left fallopian tube and caused an internal bleed in my pelvis."
Pictured: "I was dismissed multiple times during visits to the Emergency Department."
Another commentator added: "I unfortunately had a similar thing happen to me four years ago.
"I went in with pain and bleeding. I did not know I was pregnant and found out there and told I could have a miscarriage.
"My right fallopian tube had ruptured and I'd been there for eight hours before they realised."
Another woman wrote: "I had a similar situation many years ago the pain was excruciating, yet they were trying to tell me I was constipated and I was sent home.
"The next day, I was nearly delirious and was admitted to the hospital, but I was still not being listened to.
"They eventually did a scan and saw that it was an ectopic pregnancy that had ruptured."
One islander commented: "The same thing happened to me a good few years ago.
"I was told 'pregnancy is painful' and I was sent away from A&E only to be admitted the following day for emergency surgery."
Dr Fiona Nelson, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, said: "At HCS, we aim to provide the very best patient care in all cases, and we were concerned to hear about the experiences that some patients have described on social media.
"While we cannot speak about individual cases, we appreciate that when someone is diagnosed and treated for an ectopic pregnancy it can be a very distressing time.
"We would like to reassure islanders that we have guidelines in place to help ensure that patients who present with an ectopic pregnancy are diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
"In the light of the concerns raised we will review our current practice across all areas involved in the care of women with a possible ectopic pregnancy."
Pictured: "In the light of the concerns raised we will review our current practice across all areas involved in the care of women with a possible ectopic pregnancy."
She added: “We would recommend that any woman who has concerns in early pregnancy to seek advice from their GP in the first instance.
"If there is significant pain or bleeding, or if these symptoms are associated with feeling unwell, they should attend the Emergency Department directly. The woman can then be clinically assessed and referred on to the gynaecology team.
"We would also like to signpost patients, who have had any issues about the care they have received, to our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS can listen to their concerns and arrange for any matters raised to be looked into.
"We are always keen to receive feedback as learning from patient experience helps us to improve the care we provide.”
These comments come shortly after concerns were raised about the lack of a dedicated gynaecology ward in the General Hospital.
Experts have said this situation means that patients miss out on sensitive, specialised care during issues like miscarriages and terminations.
Neil MacLachlan, a consultant gynaecologist who worked for Jersey's health service for over 30 years, previously said: "Jersey deserves to have a dedicated ward to treat women in a sensitive manner by staff who have chosen gynaecology as their speciality."
Pictured: Mr Neil MacLachlan MBE FRCOG is a Consultant Gynaecologist at The Lido Women’s Health Hub.
Without such a ward, Mr MacLachlan explained that women miscarrying often end up admitted to general female surgical wards without specialist gynaecology nurses.
He said: "Being on a surgical ward is just so wrong and unfair...we should be putting the patient's welfare at the centre."
Mr MacLachlan added: "There is an important requirement to offer women a dedicated area to care for them in times of trouble, for example when miscarrying."
Mrs Alves' experience highlights the broader issue of women's pain not being taken seriously by medical professionals – which is known as "the gender pain gap".
Antonia Rubio, a 25-year-old cancer survivor, has also spoken out about the challenges women can face in getting their health concerns taken seriously.
Pictured: Miss Rubio has documented her journey with thyroid cancer journey on TikTok.
Miss Rubio, who battled thyroid cancer last year, said it took three years before doctors took her symptoms seriously.
She was suffering from fatigue, lack of appetite, rashes, and other concerning symptoms but doctors said her issues were due to anxiety or allergies — before a lump on her neck finally led to a cancer diagnosis.
"I wish someone had listened to me earlier,” she said.
Miss Rubio believes age and gender played a role in the way she was "invalidated”.
"[Women] are conditioned to toughen up," she said. "But that invalidates you”.
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