A trans-identifying woman lost an unborn baby after undergoing a hysterectomy while unknowingly being pregnant.
Jesse Pohlner, 38, was four months pregnant when she underwent a hysterectomy at Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne during a Covid lockdown in 2021, per Daily Mail. She intended to have her womb and ovaries removed as part of her transition.
The transition was confirmed just ten days before the procedure occurred. However, Pohlner didn’t know she was in the second trimester of pregnancy, mistaking morning sickness for reflux.
Pohlner told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell that “there was no pregnancy test performed.”
“I would call it hospital negligence, their policy was to blame. The policy let my doctors down, they couldn’t perform their best work.”
The doctors involved told Pohlner that she had two options when it came to having her ovaries removed. She could have the surgery in ten days and undergo a second surgery later on, or she could start taking testosterone and postpone the surgery.
She claimed she was forced to make a quick decision over the phone, per the report. In an email from the hospital, Pohlner was apparently told that depending on her last period or if she was sexually active, she may require a pregnancy test.
“I was in Horsham, Victoria, and it was hard to get to the doctors but due to having previous children I knew that you could either have a blood test or a urine test, I said if it's a blood test I need to know, right, so I can get to the doctor's,” she said.
She was reportedly assured that the test would be done before the surgery. However, the night before the operation, a nurse used a chart to ask Pohlner a series of “yes” and “no” questions. Based on the answers provided, it was determined that a pregnancy test wasn’t required.
“We had no signs that I was pregnant. I thought I was having reflux and it turned out that it was morning sickness,” Pohlner said.
The procedure was supposed to take just three hours, but it turned into a nine-hour procedure and a one-night stay in the hospital. The following morning, she was informed that she had lost a baby during the surgery.
“It was the last thing we could think of,” she said. “It was pretty shocking news.”
“In my case, if they cancelled the surgery I would not be here.”
