Failed Vasectomy and Sterilisation compensation claims

Sterilisation is a procedure that is designed to stop a woman being able to get pregnant. This is typically done by cutting, blocking, or sealing fallopian tubes so that eggs cannot reach the uterus where they would be able to develop.

It’s said to be more than 99% effective in preventing women from getting pregnant, and can be a permanent method of contraception.

For males, a vasectomy is the male version of sterilisation, where a man undergoes an operation where the tubes that carry the sperm from the testicles to the penis are blocked, cut, or sealed. Vasectomy’s are more than 99% effective and can also be a permanent method of contraception.

So, what happens if things go wrong?

Not 100% successful

No surgery is ever usually classed as being 100% successful, as there is usually always a chance that something could go wrong.

In the case of sterilisation and vasectomies, there is the chance of a failure which can result in an unwanted pregnancy. While there are natural reasons why sterilisations and vasectomies can fail, such as tubes growing back together, which is rare, there can be a medical error by surgeons that means the operation fails.

There have been cases were ligaments were cut instead of a tube during a vasectomy, and male patients have not been warned of this and go on to impregnate a woman. There are cases where female sterilisation fails as well. As the most common way to sterilise a woman is to attach clips to her fallopian tubes to stop eggs passing through, if the clips are not attached properly, they could come loose or fall off, and a woman can suffer an unwanted pregnancy.

Why this can be a major problem

You could ask what the problem is in terms of an unwanted pregnancy; especially where abortions are readily available.

But there is a great deal more to it than that.

For one, not everyone is prepared to undergo an abortion for personal reasons. But a major one is for health reasons – if a woman getting pregnant could be dangerous as a result of underlying conditions, a vasectomy or sterilisation can be the way forward to making sure an unwanted pregnancy that could be dangerous doesn’t happen.

But, if it fails as a result of negligence, the woman’s health and life could be in danger, and it’s in circumstances like these that can be the most problematic.

What can I claim for?

As long as it can be shown that the unwanted pregnancy was due to a failed sterilisation or vasectomy, there may be a medical negligence claim for compensation to make.

Damages for the pain, suffering, and losses caused through underlying complications, or generally from what has happened, can be available for people to claim. Any extra medical and incidental costs could be claimed as well