A MOTHER was rushed into emergency surgery with a life threatening condition days after being wrongly diagnosed as suffering a miscarriage.

Southend Hospital has offered to investigate after 27-year-old Chelsie Baker was given the diagnosis without examination despite it contradicting a doctor's opinion.

Mum-of-five Chelsie reported experiencing pain and bleeding weeks into a pregnancy.

Knowing something was wrong Miss Baker, of Berkley Lane, Canvey, contacted a GP who, after hearing the symptoms, thought you might be suffering an ectopic pregnancy - when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes.

She said: “After describing my symptoms to a 111 operator, I saw an out-of-hours GP who referred me to the early pregnancy unit because he wanted me to go for a scan.

“Someone called me from the hospital the following day and without me even being seen, she told me I had miscarried.

“She proceeded to give me a biology lesson despite me trying to tell her the test I took showed my pregnancy hormones were increasing.”

Miss Baker was told to retake a test on Thursday and if the hormones were still increasing to come to the hospital.

She added: “Thursday came and the bleeding was still happening and I was now in quite a bit of pain. I took the test and the hormones had increased so I went straight to the hospital.

“When I got there, the doctor asked me why I hadn’t come in sooner and they confirmed I had an ectopic pregnancy at nearly seven weeks. Because it had grown in the right fallopian tube, I had to be rushed in for emergency surgery and the tube had to be removed.

“I was told if it had grown much more and ruptured at home, I could have died.”

After being discharged from hospital, Miss Baker says she feels her treatment fell short of what patients should expect.

She said: “They should have reassured me and done precautionary checks. There was something wrong with me and I knew it.

"How many people would just trust them and not feel they could go back? The woman who spoke to me didn’t even believe I was in enough pain to be going through an ectopic pregnancy. She said ‘if you were, trust me - you would know about it’ and just dismissed what I was saying to her.

She added: "If I had been seen sooner, they could have treated it with medication rather than surgery and my right tube would not have had to be removed.

“Now, if I fall pregnant, it makes it more risky and they have said I would have to come in for regular scans early on.

"I have four girls and one son and wanted to try for a little boy in the future. Thankfully, my left tube is really healthy so they have said it is still possible. My ectopic pregnancy could not have been avoided but the emergency treatment could have been.”

It is not possible to save an ectopic pregnancy.

Denise Townsend, director of nursing at Southend Hospital, said: “We’re sorry to hear Ms Baker is unhappy with the care she received. I would urge her to contact us to discuss her concerns so we can investigate.”