#ectopic pregnancy rupture

[cowlicks-and-curls]

Stupid ass health anxiety beat by an actual very painful problem that the hospital twice said idk but you're not dying so I assumed feeling like my stomach was gonna rip out is normal and then getting quite the burning feeling and feeling a niggle in the back of my head but I ignored it because it's probably "nothing deadly" again and I actually had to be talked into going to the er because i was just deadass gonna ignore it until I couldn't and then it ended up being internal bleeding that can easily be deadly and....ugh

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

Over one year on from Dobbs, please remember the victims of abortion bans in America. These are just the ones that made it to the news:

Marlena Stell

Amanda Zurawski

Mylissa Farmer

The 10-year-old from Ohio

The 16-year-old from Florida

The 15-year-old from Florida

Nancy Davis

Elizabeth Weller

Anya Cook

Kelly Shannon

Jessica Bernardo

Kierstan Hogan

Taylor Edwards

Kylie Beaton

Gabriella Gonzalez

Samantha Casiano

Lauren Van Vleet

Austin Dennard

Lauren Miller

Jaci Statton

Kristina Cruickshank

Tara George

Kailee DeSpain

Deborah Dorbert

Mayron Hollis

Kristen Anya

Heather Maberry

Melissa Novak

Kayla Smith

Lauren Christensen

Beth Long

Anabely Lopes

Christina Zielke

Kaitlyn Joshua

Lauren Hall

Carmen Broesder

Jill Hartle

Brittany Vidrine

Jane Doe from Massachusetts, who had an ectopic pregnancy rupture because a pregnancy crisis center told her it was viable

The Jane Doe had an ectopic pregnancy rupture after an anti-abortion pregnancy center told her she had a normal pregnancy

Emily Doe, whose fetus had lungs that wouldn’t develop and had no kidneys. The pregnancy had the potential to endanger her health…but it wasn’t endangering it yet. So she had to flee Missouri for an abortion.

Victoria Doe from Louisiana, who had to go to Oregon

Ashley Brandt

Anna Zargarian

Reverend and Doctor Love Holt

Michelle Mitchenor

Brooke High

Ashley from Mississippi, who was raped and forced to give birth to her rapist's baby. She's 13.

Nicole Blackmon

Allie Phillips

Jennifer Adkins

When we do win back our right to bodily autonomy, forced birthers will forget these people. Some have absolutely no idea who these people are. But when you tell them you hope what they force on others gets forced on them, they gasp and say you're evil. Because they recognize that what they force on others is wrong, and they think they deserve better than their victims.

If you think the "abortion debate" is merely a difference of opinion, you haven't been paying attention.

[hollowboobtheory]

see the problem with "exceptions when it comes to the life of the mother" is that pregnancy is always life threatening to the person carrying it so those vague ass "Exceptions" leave it up to medical staff to decide how immediate of a danger they have to be to "count." a woman in florida was just denied the chance to go on chemo bc she was pregnant. we're seeing situations where doctors have to wait until patients' organs start shutting down to be able to give them care. we're seeing cases of patients with ectopic pregnancies, a condition that we KNOW is life threatening if untreated, have to wait until their fallopian tubes rupture to "prove" that it's life threatening in their specific case.

[yrfemmehusband]

Female reproductive health terms you should know!

(terfs not welcome)

Dysmenorrhea: Period pain that isn't normal, i.e. any pain more than Mild cramping.

Dyspareunia: painful intercourse

Oligomenorrhea: lighter, shorter menstrual flow.

Menorrhagia: heavier, longer menstrual flow.

Ovarian cysts: a mass on or in one's ovary, can be resolved on its own, or can remain and cause complications such as a rupture.

Polycystic ovary syndrome: a chronic condition causing cysts to reoccur on the ovaries and enlarging them. Symptoms include:

Irregular periods

hormonal imbalance

facial hair

weight gain

painful periods/ ovulation

infertility

People with PCOS are at higher risk for endometrial cancer, type II diabetes heart problems and high blood pressure.

Endometriosis: A chronic condition in which a tissue similar to, but different than, the endometrial lining grows outside of the uterus instead of inside. During menstruation this tissue sheds and has nowhere to go, thus irritating surrounding organs.

Symptoms include:

Irregular periods

Dysmenorrhea

Widespread pain

Painful ovulation

Vomiting, fainting, chills, sweating, fever and brain fog during menstruation

Infertility

Severe bloating

This also puts people at a higher risk for endometrial and ovarian cancer. There are four stages to Endo as it is a progressive disease, with 3/4 being more severe. The average time it takes to be diagnosed is 7 years.

Adenomyosis: A chronic disease similar and comorbid to endometriosis in which a tissue similar to the endometrial lining grows inside of the uterine wall. Symptoms are nearly identical to endometriosis but more difficult to detect.

Many people are diagnosed post menopause, by fault of the medical system, but it can and does develop much before then.

Ovarian cancer: cancer of the ovary(ies).

Endometrial cancer: cancer of the endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus.

Endometrial cyst, or chocolate cyst: cystic lesions from endometriosis.

Tilted uterus: the uterus is positioned pointing towards the back or severely to the front of the pelvis instead of a slight tilt towards at the cervix. Can cause painful sex and periods.

Pelvic floor dysfunction: inability to control your pelvic muscles. Comorbid with many things and is highly comorbid with endometriosis. Can cause pain and incontinence.

Vulvodynia: chronic and unexplained pain at the opening of the vagina.

Interstitial cystitis: a chronic condition where cysts form on the inside of the bladder and urinary tract and cause symptoms similar to that of a UTI.

Pre-eclampsia: a condition occurring in pregnancy where the blood supply between the fetus and the pregnant person is affected and can cause irregular blood pressure, swelling, and in more severe cases headache, nausea and vomiting, a burning sensation behind the sternum, shortness of breath and potentially death if untreated.

Endometritis: an infection or irritation of the uterine lining. Is not the same as endometriosis and is treatable but can cause pain, bleeding, swelling, general discomfort and fever, and more.

Pelvic inflammatory disease: an infection of the reproductive organs

Ectopic pregnancy: a pregnancy that is attached to the outside of the uterus. Can be fatal if left untreated.

There are many more I could probably add but if you see something missing, please add it!

[follow-up-news]

Bleeding and in pain, Kyleigh Thurman didn’t know her doomed pregnancy could kill her. Emergency room doctors at Ascension Seton Williamson in Texas handed her a pamphlet on miscarriage and told her to “let nature take its course” before discharging her without treatment for her ectopic pregnancy. When the 25-year-old returned three days later, still bleeding, doctors finally agreed to give her an injection to end the pregnancy. It was too late. The fertilized egg growing on Thurman’s fallopian tube ruptured it, destroying part of her reproductive system. That’s according to a complaint Thurman and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed last week asking the government to investigate whether the hospital violated federal law when staff failed to treat her initially in February 2023. “I was left to flail,” Thurman said. “It was nothing short of being misled.” The Biden administration says hospitals must offer abortions when needed to save a woman’s life, despite state bans enacted after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion more than two years ago. Texas is challenging that guidance and, earlier this summer, the Supreme Court declined to resolve the issue.

[blue-labcoat]

You're not broken

summary: reader and spencer experience a miscarriage due to ectopic pregnancy

genre: angst, 2.3k

warnings: mentions of pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, ambulances/hospitals, surgery, mentions of infertility

series masterlist here

a/n: me, updating this series after how long?? anyways, this was written with the information i could find on the internet about ectopic pregnancy and recovery, so it may not be totally accurate! read at your own discretion

A sharp pain in my abdomen woke me up. I could immediately tell that something was off - I was lightheaded and the pain in my lower stomach was getting worse.

“Spencer,” I whispered, reaching over to shake him awake.

“Hm,” he muttered, rolling over. I shook him harder.

“Something’s wrong, Spence. I don’t feel good, I think you should take me to the hospital.”

His eyes snapped open. “Are you serious? What's wrong?”

“I don't know. I can just tell that something's wrong, and I - ah!” I gasped out as another bolt of pain passed through my abdomen. “I'm in pain. And I- I don't know. I'm lightheaded. Something's just wrong.”

“Okay, it's going to be alright,” he said, getting up and walking over to my side of the bed to help me out. He pulled the covers off of me to help me get up, and gasped.

"Oh my god," he said softly, worry clouding his eyes. I followed his line of sight down to the sheets. There was a large bloodstain under my hips.

“Is that your period?” He asked. I shook my head, panic filling my chest. “Okay, let's get you to the hospital. C'mon, I'll help you to the car.”

I could hear in Spencer's voice that he was trying to stay calm for my sake, but I could see my own panic mirrored on his face. I stood up, and suddenly the room was blurry and spinning around me. I could feel my back getting clammy, and my heart was pounding in my ears. I fell against Spencer's chest, and felt him catch me and lay me back down on the bed.

I was drifting in and out of consciousness - I heard Spencer talking to someone, then I was somewhere with a bright fluorescent light shining over my head. The last thing I remembered was Spencer leaning over me, tears streaming down his cheeks.

---

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I opened my eyes slowly. “That noise is really annoying,” I muttered, closing my eyes again. It was too bright.

“She's waking up,” I heard someone saying. I didn't recognize the voice. I blinked my eyes open again, squinting so that I could take in my surroundings. I was in a hospital bed, with an IV sticking out of my arm.

“Spencer,” I called when I noticed him standing near the door.

“Hey, baby,” he greeted, coming over to stand next to me. “How are you feeling?”

“I - tired. What happened?”

Spencer's eyebrows drew together with concern, and he pressed his lips together. “The nurse is sending your doctor down to talk to you. She should be here in a minute.” He took my hand in his and squeezed it tightly, leaning in to press a kiss to my forehead.

Not long after, the woman who I assumed was my doctor came in.

“Good morning, Dr y/l/n,” she greeted me. “I'm Dr Keller. How are you feeling?”

“Tired, and confused. And please, call me y/n,” I replied, smiling politely.

“Alright, y/n. Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you. When you came in last night, you were suffering from some very heavy bleeding, and we eventually determined that you were miscarrying an ectopic pregnancy.”

“Miscarry- no, that can't be right,” I told her, shaking my head. “I'm not pregnant.”

“It's possible that you didn't know about the pregnancy - your partner didn't either, obviously, when he came with you in the ambulance. But, the ruptured fallopian tube was what was causing your pain and blood loss. Your fallopian tube was ultimately too damaged to salvage, so we had to remove it along with the ectopic tissue.”

My lip quivered. “I was pregnant?”

She nodded. “I'm so sorry, y/n. We can discuss in more detail what this means for you once you’ve gotten some rest. I’m going to give you two a minute, and I’ll be back shortly in case you have any more questions, ok?” She left, and I burst into tears.

“I know, baby, I know,” Spencer soothed, crawling into the hospital bed beside me. I tucked my head under his chin and wrapped my arm around his torso as best I could.

“I - this is silly of me. I didn't even know I was pregnant, I shouldn't be so upset about losing something that I didn't even know I had,” I blubbered.

“It's okay to cry, y/n,” Spencer reminded me. “It's a loss like any other, and it's important that you grieve however you need to. We need to grieve.”

I cried even harder at his words. We had talked about how we both wanted kids at some point, but we hadn't discussed when. I knew how much Spencer wanted to be a dad. And yet, here I was, missing a fallopian tube.

“I'm sorry, Spence. I-” I paused, not even knowing what to say.

“It's okay,” he said softly, knowing what I was trying to say. “It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. We don't need to talk about it right now if you don't want, okay?”

I nodded, squeezing him tighter against me.

---

Two days later, I was discharged from the hospital and Spencer took me home. I was supposed to stay home for at least another week, but I wasn't ready to talk about it with Millie yet so I just sent her my doctor's note and told her that I wouldn't be in until I was feeling better.

“Did you want me to stay home with you tomorrow?” Spencer asked while we were eating supper. I shrugged.

“You don't have to,” I replied, looking down at my food and pushing it around on my plate.

“That's not what I asked,” he said gently, reaching over to lift my chin. “Y/n, this is happening to both of us, you know that, right? I just want to be here for you.”

“I know, Spence, I’m sorry,” I replied, finally looking up at him. “I just don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with something like this. And, I know this is hard for you, too, and I want to be here for you like you are for me, but I just feel so… heartbroken. I mean, we might never be able to have a baby now, Spencer. I’m broken, and nothing can fix it.” I set down my fork and willed the tears that were beginning to form away.

“Hey, hey,” Spencer cooed, pulling me into a hug against his chest. “You are not broken, do you understand me? You could never be broken. I know you’re scared, and I know you’re upset, but I need you to understand that this is in no way your fault. I love you no matter what, right?”

I nodded against his chest, wiping my tears away on his sweater.

“Besides, we haven’t even really talked yet about having children yet. I’m not saying that a baby wouldn’t have been a good thing, but it sure would have been a surprise! The other thing to remember too, honey, is that there are lots of different ways to have children. And when we do eventually have a kid together, we are going to love them so fucking much that it won’t even matter how they became a part of our lives.

“Just promise me you won’t push me away because of this, okay? I want you to take the time you need to recover from this, physically and emotionally, but I want to be a part of that recovery. We’re going to get through this together.”

I could hear him starting to get choked up. I lifted my head up to look at him, giving him a weak smile. “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” I told him. “I love you so much, Spence.”

“I love you too. Now. Try eating a little bit more, and then maybe we can crawl into bed early and cuddle for a bit before we go to sleep. Sound good?”

I hummed in agreement and turned back to my plate. “You can go to work tomorrow. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. I’ll get caught up on my knitting, finish that book… it’ll be good.”

Spencer responded by leaning over and giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

---

The next morning, Spencer left on time, giving me a kiss and gentle hug goodbye and whispering ‘I love you’ while I was still in bed.

When I got up a few hours later, the incision from my surgery was sore. I hobbled to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, and was planning on returning to bed when I heard a knock at the door. Before opening it, I checked through the peephole only to find JJ on the other side.

“Hey, JJ,” I greeted her, opening the door and stepping back gingerly.

“Hi, y/n, is… Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, what do you mean?”

“Nothing, you just… never mind. Um, is Spencer here?”

My instinctual reaction was panic. Spencer had gone to work. He was supposed to be at work.

“No, he left for work at his normal time this morning. Didn’t he show up?”

“He did, but he left because he said that you needed him to come home. He didn’t say why, but he wasn’t at work very long.” She paused for a moment, looking at me closely. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I…” I wasn’t sure if I wanted anyone to know that I had miscarried. I had asked Spencer the night before not to tell anyone, and I wasn’t very close with JJ, but she was a mother. I suppose if anyone was going to understand, it would be her. “Can I tell you something, but can you not tell anyone?”

“Of course,” she replied, brows furrowing. “Did you want me to come in? I don’t have to, but-”

“Yeah, of course,” I interrupted, opening the door wider and stepping aside so that she could come in.

We sat down on the couch a few feet apart. I knew that JJ had been Spencer’s best friend before we met, but I’d never really gotten close with her.

“I had a miscarriage three days ago,” I told her after a short silence, looking down at my hands clasped in my lap, blurry from the tears that were starting to press on the back of my eyes. “I didn’t even know I was pregnant, we- we weren’t even trying or anything. It just hit me kind of hard, and they told me that I might not be able to get pregnant again, and I just… I didn’t even realize it was something that I wanted until I couldn’t have it, y’know?”

“Oh my god, y/n, I’m so sorry,” JJ said, reaching out to hold my hand. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I don’t think so,” I sniffled. “I didn’t mean to ambush you with this, I don’t even know why I wanted to tell you. I think I just needed to tell someone, just to get it out there?”

“I know what you mean.” JJ gave me a sympathetic smile. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want, but I had a miscarriage too. When I was overseas.”

“You did?”

She nodded.

“If you, um, don’t mind me asking, how did you get over it?”

“To be completely honest, it’s not really something you get over. I guess grief is different for everyone, but I find myself thinking every now and then about who that little baby might have grown up to been, or how my life would be different.”

---

JJ stayed for a few hours, talking at first with me about the miscarriage, but then just chatting. When she left, my mind went back to the hospital, the doctor’s words replaying over and over again in my mind. JJ being here had helped, though. I just had to get my mind of things for a little while until the wound wasn’t so fresh, and I could think through it. I turned on Gilmore Girls and decided to bake some cupcakes.

There was third batch of cupcakes in the oven and I was frosting the first when I heard Spencer’s key turning in the lock. I paused the tv and called out to greet him.

“Hey, honey,” he said, setting his bag down and walking into the kitchen. “It smells really good in here, but are you sure you’re getting enough rest like the doctor said?”

I gave him a peck on the cheek. “I had enough rest this morning. JJ came over and we chatted for a bit, but when she left I wanted to get my mind off it, so I’m making cupcakes. I’m almost done so I can rest after while I’m eating them.”

“I see,” replied Spencer, scooping some frosting out of the bowl and licking it off his finger. “Are you sure you’re okay, y/n? I mean, this was a big deal, and I don’t expect you to just move – ”

“I’m okay, Spence. I mean, not completely, but I’m managing okay and I know that it will hurt less with time. I just need to get there, so,” I gestured vaguely at the kitchen, “Cupcakes.”

“Okay, I’m glad. Promise you’ll let me know if you need anything?”

“I promise, Spence. Now, stop eating the icing and go sit in the living room. I’ll bring you a cupcake when they’re done.”

He dipped his finger back into the bowl one last time, giving me an impish grin before walking over to the couch. “I love you, y/n.”

[nunalastor]

Buckshot Anon here! At long last, it is time to talk about Alastor’s recovery period after the events of the Spawn of Evil AU (for all those who don’t know what that AU is, it basically involves Alastor suffering an ectopic pregnancy by Roo, and Lucifer helping to keep him alive. I got asked its logistics a while back, and now that's a constant).

The recovery on this is interesting because it is simultaneously pretty simple and complicated. The best place to start is with the surgery itself, because delivery would not be able to happen in a natural way, and would need to be done through surgery, though not a cesarean in the traditional way. Because the part of the small intestine the parasite child latched onto would be incredibly damaged by virtue of the warping necessary for the child to grow (which would have caused a rupture unless angelic blood has medicinal properties), the procedure would be treated as an intestinal resection surgery, where the effected area of the small intestine would be outright removed. Specifically an open surgery, making a cut of about 6-8 inches in the stomach. A cesarean would have 4-6 inches normally, so if you’re going with a happy medium, an incision of 6 inches. After the damaged area and the child are removed, the healthy parts of the small intestine on either end would be stitched or stapled together. This whole procedure would probably not take more than two hours, but could go upwards of four hours if there is damage in the surrounding areas of the intestines and other organs.

Once the surgery was finished, Alastor would on average stay in the hospital for a week, both to recover and make sure there had been no complications or damage to other organs. Some people can go home within three days, but due to the nature of the situation, he would be asked to stay longer. He would need to receive nutrition through an IV for a period of time before being allowed to go on a liquid diet. I will elaborate on that more in a minute, but there are some other things that should be brought up.

After being discharged from the hospital, Alastor would not be allowed to continue work at the hotel for another 4-6 weeks. There is some wiggle room in this, he may be able to return to work within 2-3 weeks provided that work is strictly paperwork, but anything physical he would need to wait a while to avoid reopening the stitching on his intestines and the incision area, or causing a hernia. He will also be encouraged to walk regularly every day, for reasons including:

Boosting blood flow, which helps to prevent blood clots.

Lessening his chances of illness.

Preventing a buildup of excessive abdominal scar tissue that could hinder movement and cause more blockages in the intestines. Scar tissue is something that will happen and in itself isn’t a problem, but scar tissue can and will become excessive if given the chance, and being sedentary while it is building up can make that worse.

Regaining muscle mass he would have lost from months on bedrest.

Avoiding constipation. Awkward to talk about but that is an important reason.  

Alastor also would not be allowed to have sex for 2-6 weeks. I doubt he would be heartbroken by this information. 

If angel blood truly does have a medicinal property that could heal him, he can mostly skip this part, and go straight into the complicated part.

Remember when I said I would elaborate more on the nutrition IV and the liquid diet? That’s where this comes into play. Alastor ate minimally if at all for the majority of the estimated 7.5 months (30 weeks, give or take) of pregnancy, and that makes the situation more complicated than it traditionally would be. Being generous and saying he was able to eat solids for the first 6 weeks, after which the blockage would make that very painful, and another 2 weeks would make even a liquid diet technically doable but difficult, Alastor would be living off of angel blood and nutrition IVs, specifically Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). 

That in itself is doable. People can be TPN-dependent for upwards of three years and still have a 65-80% survival rate. It can replace eating for as long as necessary. However, there is a caveat to that. Surviving TPN-dependent is one thing, but once someone is taken off it and needs to adjust to eating again, they can be at high risk of what is called refeeding syndrome. 

Refeeding syndrome is an interesting topic with a lot of complicated factors, but the main thing to know is the body adapts quickly to having little to no food. Metabolism drastically changes, and certain organs will begin to function differently as a result. Alastor can’t immediately begin to eat like he did before all of this because his body is no longer equipped to do so. If he were to try binge-eating or even just eating something normal after being discharged from the hospital, the symptoms he would suffer vary but consistent ones tend to be seizures and coma, sometimes even cardiac arrest or respiratory failure that result in death. 

To get around this, the best way to go about it is to very gradually reintroduce food into his diet over the course of 2 weeks, starting by eating about 14-28% of the calories he would normally need, and building upwards over those few weeks. Reteaching his body how to digest food and restore a healthy intestinal tract can usually happen within 2 weeks, but when accounting for how long he wasn’t eating solid food and the damage he needs to heal from, he might be recommended to do this for 3 weeks to be on the safe side. His best bet would be light soups and maybe yogurt.

Most of this would be handled in the hospital, the process of weaning him off the TPN, by the second or third day reintroducing liquids, then soft foods. Doctors would still want to keep tabs on him for this process once discharged, and would be able to make a better judgement call with his situation specifically on when he can return to eating normally. Normally, as in a reasonable meal, not eating multiple people or even one person in one sitting, that would have to wait the 4-6 weeks after discharge.

He would need to have multiple check-ins with his primary doctor for various reasons to make sure everything is going smoothly, make sure his physical therapy and regaining of muscle mass is going well, and that he is eating properly and healing. Doctors would also be searching for any signs of stress and psychological distress that may negatively impact Alastor’s health and cause thoughts of harming the child, which would result in a postpartum depression screening and/or a post-traumatic stress disorder screening. Debates on if Alastor would even consider the child as one aside, that does not change the need to carefully monitor his mental state and try to improve his quality of life as well as prevent any loss of life or actions he may regret.  

In summary: Alastor would have an open intestinal resection surgery, spending his first week in the hospital and after that point focusing on resting while recovering muscle mass, as well as slowly reintroducing his body to food after being taken off the IV. He should be able to eat regularly (in moderation, don't eat a person) within 2-3 weeks, with the rest of his healing taking somewhere between 4-6 weeks. He would not make a full recovery for a few months, but provided his recovery goes smoothly while monitored, he could return to his daily life with minimal issue within 6 weeks. 

(Note: The stress and trauma of the whole experience could hinder recovery severely because an increase in stress causes wounds to heal significantly slower and weakens the immune system. If this happened, it would increase Alastor’s recovery time by roughly 25%, but could be increased by up to 60% depending on the severity of that stress. Prioritizing a stress-free environment would be crucial to his recovery.)

(Another note: The pregnancy duration was estimated at give or take 30 weeks, the reason for that is pregnancy weeks are weird. It’s calculated from the date of the last menstrual period, not the date of conception. Alastor does not have the equipment for having it traced the normal way, that’s half the problem, so it would be based on the objective weeks since conception. Unlike the average pregnancy where it’s a gamble if the mother knows the conception date, Alastor would undoubtedly know.)

👀

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby at Popular Information:

This November, Florida residents will decide whether to amend their state constitution to protect reproductive rights, overturning the state's near-total abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy. If Amendment 4 passes, the following text would be added to the Florida Constitution: "No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider."  The primary group supporting Amendment 4, Floridians Protecting Freedom, is running television ads supporting its passage. One such ad is a first-personal narrative of a woman named Caroline who was diagnosed with brain cancer while pregnant with her second child. "The doctors knew that if I did not end my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life, and my daughter would lose her mom," Caroline says in the ad. "Florida has now banned abortion, even in cases like mine." Caroline urges voters to support Amendment 4 to "protect women like me." 

On October 3, the Florida Department of Health sent a letter to Mark Higgins, the General Manager of WFLA, Tampa's NBC affiliate. The letter, sent by Florida Department of Health General Counsel John Wilson, claimed that airing the ad violates Florida law. Wilson cites Florida's law against "sanitary nuisance," which prohibits "the commission of any act… by which… the health and lives of individuals… may be endangered." Wilson argues that WFLA's decision to air the ad could "threaten or impair the health and lives of women." Wilson advised Higgins that, now that he has been notified that the ad is creating a "sanitary nuisance," WFLA must stop airing it within 24 hours. Failure to do so, Wilson writes, would be a crime punishable by up to 60 days in prison under Florida law. The letter was first reported by investigative reporter Jason Garcia. 

Aaron Terr, Director of Public Advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a non-profit dedicated to preserving free speech, told Popular Information that the Florida Department of Health letter stretches "the meaning of sanitary nuisance beyond recognition." The statute deals with issues like "untreated or improperly treated human waste," "[t]he keeping of diseased animals," and the "causing of any condition capable of breeding flies, mosquitoes, or other arthropods capable of transmitting diseases." While the statute includes a catch-all for "any other condition determined to be a sanitary nuisance," there is no mention of political ads.

Floridians Protecting Freedom, in an October 4 letter to WFLA, rejects the Florida Department of Health's contention that the ad is false. In the letter, Floridians Protecting Freedom notes that Caroline "was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer at 20 weeks pregnant" and "the diagnosis was terminal." Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has advised that abortion is permitted after six weeks of pregnancy only if there is "an immediate threat to the pregnant person's life." The AHCA has said that premature rupture of membranes, ectopic pregnancy, and molar pregnancy meet that standard. None of those exceptions applied to Caroline. 

Fascist bully Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his regime are threatening arrests of TV executives that dare to air the “Caroline” ad from pro-Amendment 4 group Floridians Protecting Freedom. This is all part of DeSantis’s war on freedom of speech and abortion rights.

[batboyblog]

A 25-year-old Texas woman was put in grave danger when doctors refused to treat her ectopic pregnancy, a harrowing example of the life-and-death stakes in the post-Roe world. Kelsi Norris-De La Cruz was excited to carry her first child, but learned that she likely had an ectopic pregnancy, meaning her pregnancy was inviable and she could be at risk of death if her fallopian tube ruptured. Norris-De La Cruz needed emergency surgery to terminate the ectopic pregnancy, which is protected under Texas’ near-total abortion ban, but she says multiple physicians at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital refused to treat her, telling her the pregnancy could be viable and sending her home to wait. One of them wouldn’t answer when the young woman’s mother directly asked him if this had to do with the state’s restrictive abortion law. Norris-De La Cruz was ultimately treated by another doctor—after the pregnancy had already started to rupture—who was shocked that she had been turned away the first time. A spokesperson for Texas Health said: “Treatment decisions are individualized based on a patient’s clinical condition and we believe the care provided to the patient in this case was appropriate.”

This is the future Republicans want for everyone in America, if they win in November they will enact a national abortion ban and scare the shit out of doctors all across the country leading to thousands of cases just like this every year. The Biden Administration has taken a number steps to try to protect access including issuing guidelines requiring hospitals to preform emergency abortions no regardless of state laws but if Trump is reelected those guidelines will go away day one and situations like this will get much more common as doctors will be stripped of federal legal protection in emergency situations and become more fearful of state laws.

[rapeculturerealities]

Texas hospital refused to treat woman’s life-threatening ectopic pregnancy - The Washington Post

https://archive.is/2024.02.23-173510/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/23/texas-woman-ectopic-pregnancy-abortion/

Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz tried not to cry as the doctor in the emergency room delivered one of the most frightening diagnoses a pregnant woman can receive.

The 25-year-old college senior was told she likely had an ectopic pregnancy, a highly dangerous condition where the embryo implants outside of the uterus. Without immediate treatment, the fallopian tube can rupture — and the patient can die.

The law that has prohibited abortions in Texas since Roe v. Wade was overturned now explicitly allows doctors to treat ectopic pregnancies. But when doctors at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital evaluated Norris-De La Cruz last week, they refused to terminate the pregnancy, saying there was some chance the pregnancy was still viable, Norris-De La Cruz recalled. Instead, they advised her and her mother to go home and wait, according to medical records reviewed by The Washington Post.

Norris-De La Cruz ultimately received emergency surgery about 24 hours later at a different hospital in the area, at which point her ectopic pregnancy had already started to rupture. The OB/GYN who performed the procedure said that, if Norris-De La Cruz had waited much longer, she would have been “in extreme danger of losing her life.”

[thepro-lifemovement]

Lawmakers in the South Carolina House passed a bill on Thursday protecting preborn children from abortion beginning at the point of fertilization — the first moment of their existence.

H. 3552, or the Human Life Protection Act, passed in an 83-31 vote. Representative John McCravy said the bill “sends a message that the days of abortion as birth control are drawing to an end, and it is now time for our pro-life Senators to keep their word and vote to pass this bill.”

The bill specifically references the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision handed down last June, which overturned Roe v. Wade, pointing out that South Carolina is exercising its political power to protect preborn children. The bill defines abortion as “the act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn human being….”

The bill states:

It is not a violation of Section 44-41-820 for a physician to perform a medical procedure necessary in his reasonable medical judgment to prevent the death of a pregnant woman, a substantial risk of death of a pregnant woman due to a physical condition, or the substantial physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman, not including psychological or emotional conditions.

In reality, induced abortion — which deliberately ends human life in order to end a pregnancy — is not necessary to save the life or health of a pregnant woman. Emergency C-sections, preterm delivery, miscarriage treatment, and surgery for ectopic pregnancies are not considered induced abortions and are not prohibited by this bill:

It is presumed that the following medical conditions constitute a substantial risk of death or substantial risk of substantial physical impairment of a major bodily function of a pregnant woman: molar pregnancy, partial molar pregnancy, blighted ovum, ectopic pregnancy, severe preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, abruptio placentae, severe physical maternal trauma, uterine rupture, intrauterine fetal demise, and miscarriage. However, when an unborn child is alive in utero, the physician must make all reasonable efforts to deliver and save the life of an unborn child during the process of separating the unborn child from the pregnant woman, to the extent that it does not adversely affect the life or physical health of the pregnant woman, and in a manner that is consistent with reasonable medical practice. The enumeration of the medical conditions in this item is not intended to exclude or abrogate other conditions that satisfy the exclusions contained in item (1) or prevent other procedures that are not included in the definition of abortion.

Women who undergo abortions would not face any penalties under the bill. Someone who illegally commits an abortion, however, could be sued for up to $10,000 for each violation, and also faces up to two years in prison. Additionally, the bill requires the biological father to cover 50% of pregnancy-related costs.

[queenshelby]

Yes! Mr Murphy (Rewritten)

PART 24: THE LOSS

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Lots of Angst, Age Gap, Teacher x Student, Pregnancy Loss, Infertility

Your PoV (starting with a little flashback)

It was Saturday, at around 5 o’clock, when everything changed and you struggled to stand up straight, experiencing more pain in your abdomen than you had ever experienced before, all whilst watching Nina perform the chorography for her solo.

It felt like someone took a knife, stabbed you and then twisted it around, making you drop to the ground rather suddenly.

Nina, however, did not notice right away as she was focused on the music and her performance, thereby following your instructions to forget the world around her when being on stage and, unfortunately for you, she did not react when you tried to call out for her.

The pain was so intense that you could barely speak and the level of pain made it clear to you that you absolutely needed to see a medical professional right away.

“Nina!” you thus called out again, unable to move and, just as she noticed you having collapsed, you saw big red puddle of blood on the floor.

The bleeding was heavier than anything you had ever experienced and the cramping was torture, causing you to tare your nails through the ground as Nina jumped off stage.

“Oh shit” she cursed, unsure what to do.

“I need you to call an ambulance” you barely managed to say as you got even more intense pains around your shoulders and clavicle now, making your breathing rather difficult.

“Okay. I am getting my phone. Don’t move” Nina told you before racing to her locker while you tried very hard not to pass out.

It took literally everything in you to keep breathing and push through a moment that had you believing that you were living your last minutes of life while Nina called triple nine and it was just before the ambulance arrived that the pain went to a whole new level, causing you to finally pass out.

***

Waking up in the hospital, you had Emma by your side. She was your next of kin and held your hand when the doctors gave you the news which more than stunned you.

“We stopped the bleeding for now, but we must operate immediately” was what a man dressed in blue had told you and you still were not sure what was going on.

“Why?” you barely managed to say in your dazed state, causing Emma to hold on to your hand more firmly now.

“You are experiencing pregnancy complications, resulting in the rupture of one of your fallopian tubes” he explained, causing you to shake your head while the nurses rushed around to get you ready for surgery.

“I am not pregnant” you told him, still confused and somewhat besides yourself.

“You are. You have, what we call, an ectopic pregnancy and we put you on a blood transfusion in order to stabilise you for surgery. We will need operate now, remove the pregnancy, and see whether we can repair the rupture as you are still bleeding in to your abdomen. We need to act now as this condition is life threatening but we may need to remove your tube if we cannot repair it” the doctor explained to you and, all you could do by this point, was to nod.

“Okay, just do what you have to do” you then said while unable to grasp the fact that you were pregnant and, of course, since you had the implant put in at nineteen, you did not even consider the idea of pregnancy or miscarriage.

“The theatre is ready, doctor” you then heard one of the nurses say and, after that, everything happened so fast that there was not even time to think.

You were shocked and scared and completely heartbroken. You never wanted to have children but this came as a surprise and you did not know how to handle it. It was not fair, and you were not ready for it.

You just wanted to break into tears and sob in protest. The tears began to well, but as they began to fill your eyes, you turned within to impart a little wisdom upon yourself.

“You can do anything” you said to yourself which was exactly what your mother told you the last time you saw her. It was when you were taken away by the Department of Immigration and placed into the Forster care system, following which you had never seen her again. But, with this wisdom in mind, you turned to joking with your medical staff as you were poked, questioned, and drugged.

As you were wheeled away and the weight of anaesthesia began to bear down on you, you had complete acceptance of what was happening and trusted that everything was as it should be. Then there was nothing…

***

Awakening from surgery was like coming back to life. The drugs had your brain filled with a thick mental fog that had you feeling as though you were waking from a ten-year coma. You were in and out and barely capable of a clear and coherent thoughts, but it only took a second for you to realise that you were experiencing the worst nausea of your life. You made this clear to the nurse standing over you and as you again fell back out of consciousness, she injected something into your IV.

You came to it again moments or minutes later without any nausea and managed to ask where Emma was before you drifted off again and then, the next time you opened your eyes, you saw the nurse walking in with her and Connie who wanted to check on you after what Nina had told her.

“Is Nina okay?” was the first thing you managed to say, seeing that the last you remembered of her was her calling an ambulance which, at thirteen years of age, must have been a pretty big deal.  

“She is fine. But, how about you?” Connie asked, not knowing what had happened to you.

“I am okay, I think” you told her while Emma advised her that you probably needed some rest now and, without informing her of the procedure performed, Connie chose to give you some privacy.

“Thanks for checking in on me. I appreciate it” you said nonetheless and she nodded.

“Any time! Please me know if you need anything, alright?” she then said before Emma took the seat next to your bed for the rest of the night until, the next morning, you were woken by the nurses again, performing some tests.

While the nurses took your vitals, the head surgeon came in and gave you an update which was something that did not happen the night before due to an influx of emergency patients.

He informed you that, despite their best efforts, your left fallopian tube had to be removed. In addition to that, your uterus had been perforated as the pregnancy was attached to the left-hand side of it and you were informed that you would need some bed rest for about two weeks which included a five-day hospital stay.

The surgery itself was not easy and a large incision had to be made on your abdomen due to the severe bleeding you were experiencing, now leaving you permanently scarred.

“Okay” was all you told him in response to what he had to say and he was rather surprised by how well you took it, knowing that most women in your position would have been frantic.

“You may not be able to have children without further medical intervention” you were then told by the doctor and, again, you nodded and replied with a simple “okay” as, the truth was, that the relief of surviving something that had you so close to death had you more than happy to face whatever awaited you after surgery and that even included the prospects of infertility.

“A counsellor will be available for you when you leave hospital” he then went on to say and you to chuckle.

“Honestly, I have been through counselling so many times in my life, I can assure you that I won’t need it” you said and it was at this point that the doctor decided to give you some more space as well, allowing you to come to terms with what happened to you at your very own pace.

***

Several minutes later, you were finally served your first meal since your surgery and you could not recall the last time porridge tasted so good. You were starving and, just as you ate your mushy oats, Emma read through a magazine that had just been delivered to the hospital that morning.

“Anything interesting?” you asked as Emma zipped through it, page after page, until she gasped heavily, causing your eyebrows to furrow.

“What is it?” you wanted to know but Emma knew that now was not the time to tell you as she read through the short article quickly.

“Nothing, just some gossip about…no one really…” she said while closing the paper and dropping it to the floor, not wanting you to see its content…

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

Remember How "Prolifers" Swore They Knew an Ectopic Pregnancy Was Nonviable and Said We Were Fearmongering for Using It as an Example Against Abortion Bans?

According to a press release, Doe thought she might be pregnant in October 2022 and wanted to get an ultrasound. She found Clearway through an online search and got an appointment later that day. A Clearway nurse did an ultrasound and said the pregnancy was both viable and in her uterus; the suit says it’s against state medical regulations for registered nurses to read ultrasounds because they’re not licensed diagnosticians. A physician didn’t see Doe, though her discharge paperwork said a medical doctor provided her care. A month later, Doe felt shooting pain on her side and was so weak and lightheaded that her husband called 911, per the release. Emergency room doctors diagnosed her with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and internal hemorrhage. In order to stop the hemorrhaging, doctors did emergency surgery in which they had to remove of one of her fallopian tubes. None of this should have been necessary, as legitimate medical providers would have ended Doe’s life-threatening pregnancy with medication—typically the cancer drug methotrexate.

[just-4-thought]

Cw: abortion, miscarriage, and politics

Pregnancy and healthcare surrounding pregnancy is a politically charged conversation right now and sometimes that can make it hard to see some of the realities that pregnant people face.

According to the CDC, between 2018 and 2021 the maternal mortality rate nearly doubled in the general population and in all categories from age to race included in the data.

78% of maternal mortalities happen on or after the day of delivery. And pay attention here, 53%, which is the highest percentage of maternal mortalities, happens between 1 week and 1 year after delivery. Meaning the danger only increases after birth.

It is getting more dangerous to be pregnant in America.

As a new mom who is currently pregnant, I am surrounded by other new and pregnant moms. We sit and talk about our stories like war veterans and I have found myself growing in concern at the number of women who had complications that put themselves and/or their baby at risk. In fact, of my friends I can think of one who had no complications and we are talking people whose ages range from 21-34 at the time of birth. Ironically, the one person who had no complications does not want to have another child because she realizes how lucky she got. Uterine rupture, hemorrhaging, severe infection, preclampsia, internal bleeding, hyperemesis gravidarum, ectopic...it goes on. I'm also surprised by women who will say they had uncomplicated births and then you get to talking to them and they hemorrhaged for a month without anyone believing them or their blood pressure got so high the doctor's had to put them on bed rest and try to monitor until they couldn't delay any longer for concern about long term organ damage. Even the women who had complications that were not life-threatening have been left with disabilities no longer able to run or move their body in ways they previously could.

The dangers of childbirth are consistently dismissed and downplayed even amongst people who've experienced them. Sometimes especially amongst people who've experienced them. My guess is that external pressures and "mommy guilt" play a role in making these dangerous and physically altering experiences seem like no-big-deal. A lot of people paint afab bodies as miraculous for the ability to bear children and there is truth to that but the reality is that there will be constant conflict between the baby and the pregnant person as they fight for space and nutrients and both with be put in danger.

I say all this as a woman on my 3rd pregnancy. A pregnancy that I fought very hard for. Prior to this pregnancy, I have had two life-threatening pregnancies and one of them resulted in my daughter. My daughter who makes me sound like a cliche, like a my heart is outside of my body walking around in a toddler, and I go to bed exhausted but with a huge smile on my face because of her and I cannot wait for the next day when I get to hold her and spend time with her again. My mind is always with her, there isn't a moment of her life that she hasn't been loved fiercely. But my love for her and my willingness to die for her is a choice I made and in making that choice my experience included needing a transfusion due to blood loss from a c-section and internal bleeding a month after the fact. My recovery is ongoing. The trauma will never leave. And if given the choice I would do it all again --and worse-- for her.

I decided even after hearing all my friends and acquaintances talk about their life-threatening stories and experiencing my own that I would be brave and face my fears to give my daughter someone to walk through life with and be there with her when she's my mom's age and I am long gone. And make no mistake, I am afraid. There are a lot of potential bad outcomes. And my/our decision has already led to one.

My second life-threatening pregnancy was an ectopic. And I find the word "dismissed" almost too gentle. I wasn't just dismissed, I was laughed at by my medical care team for suggesting that an excruciating pain presenting in my lower back was an ectopic. It would be weeks before I would get care. I also sat in the hospital waiting care after an ultrasound confirmed that I had no viable pregnancy because the staff had additional concerns related to abortion laws. In the end, abortion laws delayed my care by several hours, but dismissing and downplaying women's health issues delayed my care by several weeks. Even more, the research about ectopic pregnancies, which impacts 1-3% of pregnancies, is limited which increased my risk going into my third pregnancy. The limited research is likely also connected to the downplaying of these issues.

The reality is childbirth is getting more dangerous, most of the danger happens late in pregnancy and into postpartum. I have personally witnessed abortion laws delay care and increase risk in a post-roevwade world.

Any real conversation about "women's health" not just bad-faith lip service, has to start with the women it claims to address. In a world where the politics of good Ole sexism endanger pregnant people daily, I don't know if the politics of abortion could possibly be trusted at any level to truly protect these people. Pro-life sounds righteous in theory and I can see why the term resonates with people. But in the context of women's health issues, a pro-life stance does not truly exist. With the often unspoken and growing dangers that pregnant and post-partum people face, terms like pro-life become a fantasy. Make no mistake a "pro-life" stance will kill people and-- I guess-- we live in a world where you get to decide if you want to be responsible for those deaths.

[hello-nichya-here]

Is it true abortion bans kill women?

Yes. A lot of these laws are written to include in their bans abortions that are the best chance, or even the ONLY chance, of a woman surviving a pregnancy. The whole point of laws like the over-turned Roe V Wade was to make sure there would no longer be cases of women slowly bleeding to death while doctors were obligated to deliberate for weeks, or even months, on if they could somehow perform a freaking miracle and save both.

I'm not exaggerating, some fuckers once legit tried to pass a law that not only would ban abortions in case of ectopic pregnancies (when the fetus grows outside the uterus, and thus CAN'T reach the point where it will be born and as a bonus will make the woman die horribly with internal bleedings due to the rupture) but also wanted to punish doctors for not "saving the child" - conveniently ignoring that there is no medical procedure that can save the embrio of an ectopic pregnancy, as the fetus can't survive outside the uterus AND can't be removed from where it is to then be put in the womb. It would have literally demanded them to do the impossible and labeled them as criminals once they inevitably failed.

And lets not forget: a lot of these "women" that have died because they weren't allowed to abort were little girls. Literal children that due to some anomally were able to become pregnant way too early, but not carry said pregnancy to term because their body simply wasn't fully ready for that yet. And you guessed it, said pregnancies tend to lead to the discovery of said child being sexually abused by a relative.

Not to mention the obvious, a lot of these women (or again, little girls) desperately trying to just survive can go get an illegal abortion - which presents TONS of risks of everything from serious infections, being unable to ever get pregnant again, and death.

There's a reason full bans on abortion, no matter the situation, can be controversial even among conservative/pro-life groups that see a fetus or even just the embrio as already being a person. There are MANY cases in which abortion is the difference between "Save one, lose the other" and "Save neither."