We are sorry that you are unwell which has resulted in you having a procedure or other investigations during your hospital visit or admission. Many of the tests we conduct require us to determine whether the patient is pregnant. This affects the doctor’s decision on what treatment is required as during pregnancy the foetus is very vulnerable to the effects of some anaesthetic medicines, X-rays, procedures and surgeries. Particularly during the first Trimester of a pregnancy, when the patient may not even be aware that they are pregnant.
We want to ensure that we minimise the risk to any unborn child. Therefore, it is necessary for all patients of reproductive capacity to be assessed for the possibility of pregnancy prior to undergoing either a procedure, surgical or radiological procedure.
The National Patient Safety Agency (2010) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2016) recommend that pregnancy testing should be performed on all patients who have childbearing potential from the ages of 12 - 55 years old unless there is a clinical indication, such as having a hysterectomy. As a trust we have adopted the approach of carrying out pregnancy testing from 10 years old, due to menstruation, up until the age of 60 years old unless there is a clinical reason. Therefore, testing should also be considered/ performed for patients with a history of last menstrual period or who states that it is not possible for them to be pregnant due to going through the menopause.
The Trust must gain consent from the patients/ parents/ carers for this test to be conducted, this is usually a urine pregnancy test. In certain circumstances a blood test may also be taken.
If the pregnancy test shows as positive this may involve delaying the procedure until it is safe to continue the treatment. If a patient refuses, then it would be the doctor’s decision as to whether the treatment is carried out.
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