Woman raped by vaginal probe :(

[wild little fox]

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3907422/

Woman Sues Over Transvaginal Ultrasound: 'It Felt Like I Was Being Raped'

Laura BassettSep 11, 2013

When Marianne Keith, 52, went to the hospital with severe abdominal pain in February, the physician recommended that she have a transvaginal ultrasound -- the same procedure doctors use to detect a fetal heartbeat early in a pregnancy -- to diagnose the problem. What ensued, Keith says, was a full hour of brutal physical abuse that left her with internal injuries and recurring nightmares.

"It felt like I was being raped," she told The Huffington Post in an interview. "Like somebody was intentionally hurting me."

Keith has sued the Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill., where she underwent the procedure, for medical battery. She claims in the lawsuit that the hospital technician "repeatedly jammed the probe in to various internal portions of [her] vagina, including her cervix," for an hour.

"After I left the hospital, I knew by how much pain I was in that something was done to me," she told HuffPost.

Keith says she suffered physical injuries to her vagina and cervix and continues to experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I have nightmares about being trapped and going through this procedure again," she said. "I have so many triggers -- watching television, and whenever a woman is hurt or raped or something happens on TV, I think about it again. My husband and I don't have any type of intimacy, because I don't want anybody touching me. I have physical things that are the matter with me, and I cant even go to the doctor anymore."

A spokesperson for the Advocate Condell Medical Center said it does not comment on pending lawsuits.

Transvaginal ultrasounds can be used for diagnostic purposes, as well as to check the fetal heartbeat in the early stages of a pregnancy. They have made headlines in the past few years because several states have debated or passed legislation forcing women to undergo the procedure before getting abortion.

"Half of the 10 states that have mandatory ultrasound laws, in effect if not words, require a vaginal ultrasound because those laws mandate making the fetal heartbeat audible or require specific information for gestational age," said Elizabeth Nash, state issues manager for the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization. "Early in pregnancy, the only way to make the fetal heartbeat audible is to use a transvaginal ultrasound."

The four states with laws on the books implicitly requiring transvaginal ultrasounds for women seeking abortions are Arizona, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Virginia lawmakers had a high-profile debate in 2012 over mandating the procedure for such women. Democrats likened the procedure to "state-sponsored rape," prompting Republicans to rewrite the bill to allow women to opt out.

Keith said she has had the procedure done repeatedly in the past, while she was going through fertility treatments. While none of her past experiences felt as abusive as the one she had in February, they were never pleasant.

"Even if it's done the way that it should be done," she said, "it's so intrusive."

This has me in tears. As an abuse survivor having Gyno exams is horrifying for me, even when given by a woman. This is a fucking nightmare nobody should have to go through.

[AnnieC 305]

An hour? I've had these done, several times. I've never had one go more than 15 miserable minutes. Fucking nightmare, I agree.

[Handmaiden of Dog]

Same here. I had to have one about a year ago and it is a nasty, painful, invasive procedure and I had a very gentle tech who allowed me to push it in myself (it was surprisingly difficult to get it in.) Once in, they must push against the walls and cervix so there is a lot of prodding. It does feel a bit like rape, but it is a medical procedure which I agreed to (as I am sure she did as well.) There are plenty of medical procedures out there that are painful and unpleasant-- the vaginal probe just happens to have sexual overtones because it is inside the vagina. I cannot imagine this law suit has a chance of succeeding.

Having had one done of my own volition, I am so much more opposed to the unnecessary transvaginal probes required by some states prior to abortions. It would be a nightmare if I thought it was completely unnecessary.

[laura oz]

When I was pregnant with both my kids, I had to go weekly to have my cervix measured. It took 5-10 minutes tops. One hour is a definite violation of her body. The fact that she was in so much pain breaks my heart for her and tells me that the person doing the exam either didn't know what they were doing or was a sadist. What the hell was the tec doing to her, and I hope he/she is being investigated. And I hope she wins her case.

[August]

I've had lots of these, too. They take a lot longer when it's not a simple check on something, and digging for an uncooperative ovary is really really violating-feeling. I couldn't have one done by a man.

Is it naive to assume that before filing suit they talked to a professional about what's normal?

[laura oz]

I've had lots of these, too. They take a lot longer when it's not a simple check on something, and digging for an uncooperative ovary is really really violating-feeling. I couldn't have one done by a man.

Is it naive to assume that before filing suit they talked to a professional about what's normal?

Oh, goodness you're so right about the ovaries. I've had so many cysts and swollen ovaries over the years. You're right, they do take longer, but I've still never had one last an hour. They are uncomfortable when they really get in there looking for what the problem is, but she shouldn't have been in the kind of pain she seems to be claiming she was in. I've had them done by men and women, and surprisingly, the men that have done mine have been more gentle. Then again, I prefer a male OBGYN for the same reason. Different strokes, I guess.

[Mama Mia]

When my doctor suspected ovarian cancer ( and my primary synptom was intense abdominal pain ) the vaginal ultrasound was extremely uncomfortable and lasted around an hour. It really depends on what they are looking for how much time it takes and how much poking and prodding they have to do. IIRC I was sore for days afterwards.

I think her being (probably) post-menopause probably contributed to the pain and any tissue damage.

[Marian the Librarian]

I've had 3 over the last two years (bleeding fibroid, now thankfully behaving itself beautifully:smile:). They are not the most pleasant of medical tests, but necessary for me to help rule out endometrial cancer. I agree with the poster who said it all depends on what they're looking for...I was fortunate to have gentle technicians and docs each time.

[OkToBeTakei]

Same as some of you other ladies. I was in terrible pain anyway when the procedure was required and they gave me Morphine and Lorazepam but it still was exceptionally painful. I don't think there was a bit of my vagina that was not probed and agree with whoever said finding the ovary was the worst bit. I was about 45 minutes in total. It saved me though a more invasive laparoscopy which was the point of the procedure and why I agreed although I was thoroughly informed it would be painful due to the inflammation I had going on anyway.

Hard to tell with the woman suing. She had previous experience of trans-vaginal scans via IVF as did I. They are fairly routine as they know exactly where and what they are looking for. This time she was already in pain (abdominal) and it was being used for broad diagnostic purpose. The two are chalk and cheese and not comparable at all. It will be interesting to hear how this is resolved.

That is truly awful about the abortion scan.

[Lainey]

This is horrible. :(

[mockingbird]

Hmm, I wonder if she didn't know it could take longer depending on the purpose. I hope that is the case and the tech was not being abusive - if so, how horrible.

I would usually rather deal with the pain than feel "loopy" but I think if I had to have one of these and it wasn't a routine quick check (like in early pregnancy) I'd really, really hope I was offered meds like OKTBT. Actually, feel free to knock me out and have a third person as a "chaperone" if needed since I wasn't awake. My gyn exams are painful as it is! (And my ob-gyn is great, but it's just me.)

[wild little fox]

There is a fine line between rape and not rape in my humble opinion. I know I'm not being clear. For instance in my first relationship with my fundie boyfriend it was either give in or be raped. That's one of the reasons why it can be so confusing. I had a date once and I dissisociated during sex and when we were done I said "can I go home now?" That broke his heart because he really liked me and just thought he was doing what I wanted. It wasn't his fault at all that I could not say no.

There is so much that plays into violation. If she was already feeling powerless and the technician was uncaring I can see how she would rightly feel like she was raped.

When I was getting my wisdom teeth pulled my dentist asked me almost constantly if I was alright. It doesn't take much for someone to be kind and show they have compassion for their patient.

It sickens me to no end that women are forced to go through this to have a right to end a pregnancy. Slut shaming anti choice bastards! Not that I would wish rape on anyone but I'm really close to wanting to see those who support vag ultrasounds befor termination to be anal probed extensively!!

[fundiemental]

I had one done a few years ago to check for ovarian cysts as I was having discomfort. The technician (a female) was extraorinarily gentle and kind, and the most discomfort I had was from my bladder being full (I was instructed to drink lots of water and hold it before the procedure). Anyway, I'm surprised that this woman had such an awful experience, but I don't want to doubt her word. I'm sure there are terrible technicians and emotional factors and physical issues that can make it an ordeal.

[OkToBeTakei]

It's a tough one.

Half of me is thinking that in a medical situation you really can feel vulnerable and that you can't say stop because of social convention and our inbuilt conditioned response of not 'creating' drama or knowing the difference between an assault and a painful personally invasive procedure.

The other half is saying litigation is money.

[Mama Mia]

There is a fine line between rape and not rape in my humble opinion. I know I'm not being clear. For instance in my first relationship with my fundie boyfriend it was either give in or be raped. That's one of the reasons why it can be so confusing.!

I don't want to question your interpretation, or re-traumatize you, but IMHO, if the only choice is to give in to sex you don't want, or be raped-- you are in fact being raped either way. Just one version is less physically violent, but given the threat, possible even more emotionally violent.

Hope that wasn't offensive, and I'm sorry you had to go through that.

[Anise]

Poor woman!

I had a transvaginal ultrasound done when I had appendicitis (the doctors wanted to rule out ovarian cysts).

The technician was so nice. She let me know exactly what was happening and turned the monitor so I could see too. She showed me how to find my ovaries and everything. <3

I guess I was lucky it wasn't very painful for me, just an uncomfortable pinching feeling.

In my opinion, if the technician wasn't asking for feedback on whether it was painful for her and telling that she had the option to stop the procedure, something is wrong- maybe not rape, but still wrong.

[CallmeChaCha]

When I had one done for possible ovarian cyst, nobody explained to me wtf a vaginal ultrasound was. I'd had a kidney ultrasound so I figured it was similar. Boy, was I wrong! I was not expecting anything to go IN anywhere! I don't remember it being too painful, but I do remember it being extremely uncomfortable, not just physically but emotionally/mentally as well. Maybe something similar happened to her and not knowing what to expect just made the entire experience much, much worse. That's terrible, though, that she went through something that traumatized her like that.

[wild little fox]

I don't want to question your interpretation, or re-traumatize you, but IMHO, if the only choice is to give in to sex you don't want, or be raped-- you are in fact being raped either way. Just one version is less physically violent, but given the threat, possible even more emotionally violent.

Hope that wasn't offensive, and I'm sorry you had to go through that.

You did not offend or traumatize me at all. You are absolutely correct.

[wild little fox]

The woman in the article said it felt like rape. The subject line was me being pissed off lol! I tend to have emotional reactions rather than logical ones lol!

[CrazyCatLady]

i had a trans-vagina ultra sound earlier this year. Other than being suuuper awkward i found it uncomfortable at worst. my tech was a guy, but he explained everything he was doing, continued to ask how i was doing, and even showed me what all my inside bits looked like on the screen. I had an uncooperative ovary so it probably lasted around 30 minutes. a female nurse was in the room the whole time...i wonder if this woman was alone with the tech?

[Blahblah]

I've had this procedure a couple of times. Both times were lengthy, painful and embarrassing. BUT I had a doctor and the tech there the whole time explaining every step of the way. If they had not done this I could easily have felt violated, hurt and damaged. If she did not receive appropriate feedback from the tech I can see how she could have ended up feeling like this even from an otherwise normal procedure.

[Arete]

I've had one and my God, it was AWFUL. Lasted almost an hour, they had to get a good visualization of a problem, and it was painful and humiliating. Mind you, the doctor was talking me through it the whole time, he had prepped me on what to expect, he would give me breathers.....and it was still painful and humiliating. But it wasn't rape.

[Pathfinder]

Coming from a different perspective...

As a Certified Nurse Midwife, I have done thousands of pelvic exams, IUD insertions, endometrial biopsies, etc. Although I am as gentle as I can be, pain and discomfort can go hand in hand with a lot of these procedures. Even if you spend the time to prepare the patient and offer reassurance during the procedure, it can still be traumatizing.

I have done many pelvic exams on women who I know have been victims of some form of sexual assault. Some women couldn't even tolerate being touched, and just doing a simple vaginal exam would take half a hour of gentle reassurance. Others would tense up and make it twice as painful for themselves, fighting the procedure every step of the way. These women always broke my heart.

We don't know enough about this case to make any qualified judgment. It may be that the technician was as reassuring and gentle as he/she can be, but the experience itself was not received well. I know pain is a subjective experience, so maybe this patient did suffer excessively during/after the ultrasound or maybe she just experienced a normal amount of pain that she processed differently. Who knows? But to call it rape? I don't think so. In that case, I have raped many women in my career, in the eyes of some.

[littlemommy]

I was going through (and still sorta am, booooo!) a period where sex had become inexplicably very painful. I went to the doctor about it, ready to die of embarrassment and shame, to be pretty casually dismissed. "Use more lube" was their official, shitty recomendation. I then had an extremely painful pelvic exam while clad only in a paper gown that didn't fit and tore up both sides. I left the office feeling very upset over the whole thing, and for a few days after felt like something very bad had happened to me. I know no one there had intentionally hurt me, but the dismissiveness of everyone coupled with pain made me feel, at the same time, like they HAD hurt me. SoI can understand where this lady is coming from, especially if she had prior traumas. I hope the hospital/doctor/whatver it was can pay for some counseling or some other way to help her. I'm sure no one meant to hurt her then. But they can help her now.

[scc12]

It sounds like the tech. didn't know what he she was doing.Such an exam should not cause injury or pain.