Rare abortion for a rare pregnancy

Getting a positive pregnancy test report is surprising enough for a 40-something mother of a college-going son.

Getting a positive pregnancy test report is surprising enough for a 40-something mother of a college-going son.

HT Image

South Mumbai resident Surekha Kamble (name changed) was in for another shock when she went for an abortion.

The ultrasound revealed the seven-week-old foetus was in her cervix (the narrow, lower portion of the uterus that connects to the vagina) and not the uterus. This falls in the ‘rarest of rare’ complications. Kamble could have bled to death.

A skillfully conducted surgery came to her rescue. Kamble is out of danger with no scar on her body. Gynaecologist, Dr Prashant Mangeshikar, laparascopically (with a key-hole incision) removed her uterus, cervix and the foetus during the 1.5-hour procedure at his Gamdevi Nursing Home on Saturday.

Usually, doctors perform such procedures by cutting the abdomen open. “This could be the first case of a successful laproscopic hysterectomy for cervical pregnancy,” said Dr Mangeshikar, adding that he would send it for publication in a medical journal.

What made Kamble’s case more complicated was that she had earlier undergone a Caesarean section. “Her bladder was stuck to her cervix because of the C-section. I had to ensure the bladder does not get affected,” said Dr Mangeshikar. “If anything went wrong, it would have led to torrential bleeding.”

Kamble could not be administered drugs to induce abortion because the foetus was alive.