Lara Edwards Accountability for Obstetric Violence Now

Thank you for taking the time to look at my GoFundMe.

Tl; dr: Extensive obstetric violence and abuse. Asking for funds to hire a lawyer. You can also support me by posting your own story of obstetric violence or even abuse you or your loved one experienced as a patient.

My high-risk pregnancy was induced without my consent by a reproductive endocrinologist (fertility doctor) who botched an ultrasound that was meant to check my C-section scar. Obstetrics unfortunately suffers from a culture of non-consent and cover-up. Instead of rendering care appropriate for this high-risk condition that increases the risk of uterine rupture, a severe C-section isthmocele, my pre-natal providers actively covered up the mistake of the fertility doctor. Dr. 1 of North York General Hospital lied and told me he measured normal uterine scar thickness. North Don River Valley Midwives lied and said the biophysical profile clinic at NYGH was handling the issue. It would turn out my C-section scar was so thin it was starting to rupture at the end of my pregnancy, to the point it was not safe to wait for the booked 40-week C-section. My scar thickness decreased from 1.8mm at 37-weeks to 0.79mm at 38-weeks. If my scar ruptured at home my baby would have died. My scar thickness was only measured because I lost faith in NDRVM and went behind their back, calling the biophysical profile clinic asking to be seen by a doctor, and only after I became hysterical with her insisting on the measurement. Dr. 2, a high-risk maternal fetal medicine doctor at NYGH, withheld the diminished 0.79mm measurement when he offered me vaginal birth after C-section, which conferred an absolute risk of rupture around 10%. For frame of reference, classical “t-shaped” C-sections also have about a 10% chance of rupture and are an absolute contra-indication for VBAC. My risk of rupture may have been significantly higher than 10% as my scar was observed to be spontaneously rupturing. Intentionally withholding material information in a medical consent process legally constitutes assault.

My care post-partum was no better. Three weeks after giving birth I had late-post partum hemorrhage caused by enterococcus (poop bacteria) infection of my uterus. I complained to both NDRVM and Dr. 2 and was blown off. I suffered extremely heavy periods and vulvodynia and was told it was normal by numerous obstetricians, walk-in doctors, family doctors, emergency rooms. I dismissed two OHIP funded family physicians because they refused to help me. Losing faith in Canadian healthcare, we went to the United States for laparoscopic repair, where endometrial biopsy found the poop bacteria infection. I absolutely would not have got an endometrial biopsy in Canada; every provider told me my bleeding was normal. My ferritin, a measure of iron stores, was recently measured at 6, which is well within range of iron deficiency anemia. The American surgeon found my C-section scar was 100% ruptured. I was experiencing bullying in Canada to get pregnant without repair on that 100% ruptured uterine scar. I have not been able to be seen by a competent obstetrician who takes my concerns seriously closer than Windsor, a 4-hour drive. I was only seen by him because I had the “luck” of infertility and he is also a reproductive endocrinologist. Access to obstetricians in Ontario is absolutely abominable. Dr. 2 medically abandoned me, leaving me without appropriate care. Dr. 2 abandoned me because he lied about the accuracy of saline sonohistograms to detect C-section isthmoceles and he did not want me to experience the course of care I could have experienced before my unwanted high-risk IVF pregnancy.

My journey with psychiatric care has followed a similar path to my obstetric care. I suspected I have PTSD while still pregnant, and was not able to get diagnosis until over two years post-partum, only after going to numerous walk-in clinics. Mt. Sinai, Women’s College and Sunnybrook turned me away. I was only able to get care through CAMH: a single hour with a psychiatrist. There is virtually no access to OHIP funded trauma therapy. Given lack of access to care, inducing PTSD in a pregnant client through gross medical negligence or misconduct must be added to the criminal code as an explicit form of criminal assault. As an aside, is it any wonder homelessness is out of control? Virtually every single unhoused person has unmet psychiatric needs. The healthcare system is failing everybody.

Through my dogged efforts, I am barely piecing together care from a private-pay family practice NP, a private-pay therapist, the OB in Windsor, and a naturopath. At this point I have become so disheartened by my ongoing struggles and distrust in the medical profession, I am considering throwing my $20,000 surgery into a medical garbage can by requesting a hysterectomy.

Canada has record low fertility. It absolutely cannot afford to medically terrorize women who desire several children into prematurely ending their child bearing. Canada works hard to attract new immigrants, but is losing them when the immigrants experience the insecurity and misery of Canadian health care. There is a clear sexist underfunding of gynecologic care. It is almost impossible to get a referral to an OB-GYN, and if you manage to acquire one, you can expect to wait 6-12 months for the first appointment. Obstetric violence and sexism in medicine are pressing emergencies that nobody wants to talk about. I am here to talk about it.

The reproductive endocrinologist never released my records. NDRVM refuse to answer questions or account for missing patient encounter notes, even after a complaint through the Information and Privacy Commissioner. The IPC has no authority to compel third-party review of records, so my only avenue to get my records is a civil lawsuit. We paid $1400 for an expert witness to look at my case. He identified deficiencies, but it is almost impossible to proceed with a civil case without a lawyer. I cannot represent my children in court. Help me to compel change in the culture of obstetrics by helping me to get the records I need to proceed with lawsuits against these unscrupulous individuals. Help level the playing field against the Canadian Medical Protective Association, a Canadian taxpayer-funded malpractice insurance scheme that has a billion dollar warchest to squash medical lawsuits against bad Canadian doctors. If you are experiencing tight financial circumstances, leaving a supportive message or your own story of obstetric violence or patient abuse is more than enough and would be deeply appreciated.

If you are an expert witness willing to work with me, that would be worth more than you can imagine to me.

Q: Why haven't you filed a complaint through the College of Midwives

A: I already made a short inquiry and found them to be very dismissive and uninterested. I have read rulings where they exhibited a pro-midwife bias, in my opinion. I strongly prefer to have my complete record before I file a complaint. In any case, it is my understanding that any findings that come about because of a complaint to the college are not admissible in civil court.

Q: Why haven’t you filed a complaint through the College of Surgeons and Physicians of Ontario?

A. I intend to as my mental health allows, however, I have read newsmedia articles where complainants felt they were treated aggressively by the CPSO. I experienced this when the IPC required a response within two weeks. Additionally, I know the reproductive endocrinologist and physician #1 have already received slaps on the wrist by the CPSO.

Q. Why haven’t you filed a complaint through the patient relations department at the hospital?

A. I have already contacted them regarding getting ultrasound sweeps and was blown off. I have very little faith in them. I also complained to the patient relations department at Mt. Sinai that their ER failed to diagnose endometritis and they could not care less.

Q. Isn’t it mean to flier?

A. I have explicitly and privately made these accusations directly to NDRVM in a phone call with my primary midwife and through my IPC complaint. They did not deny them or correct me so I have taken their behaviour to mean my conclusions are essentially correct. In that phone call the primary midwife attempted to mislead me about the existence of patient encounter notes and that she arranged the 37-week scar measurement. NDRVM did not address about half a dozen questions I put in the IPC complaint. I have been in contact with them, sending NDRVM my surgical notes, biopsy reports, PTSD diagnosis, the anemia bloodwork. They simply ignore me. I have months of missing patient encounter notes that refuse to explain. I have reason to believe there was communication with a physician that my scar need not measured which they are withholding me. I had a 45-minute appointment with my primary midwife to discuss TOLAC, which was cancelled she was “sick”, meanwhile she made the Ontario Perinatal Record for that date and also made the referral to Dr. #2 (without a scar measurement) on that day. When I received 37-week measurement for the scar thickness I told her had I known this was going to be an automatic repeat C-section I would have preferred an obstetrician she became visibly angry and left the room. I also told her I had mental health difficulties and she blew me off. NDRVM seems to have imported the toxic culture of NYGH. I have genuine concern that NDRVM represents a danger to public safety and I feel it is my duty as a woman and a mother to warn other people.

To residents of North York: NYGH has an institutional culture of abuse of female patients. Please see the examples of George Doodnaught and Paul Shuen. Five different women complained to NYGH administration that Doodnaught sexually assaulted them; nothing happened until one of these women made a police complaint. NDRVM has a toxic relationship with Dr. 2, whereby they can depend on Dr. 2 to “fix” their mistakes. Persons who have a uterus or who love a person with a uterus need to carefully decide if they want to give these institution their healthcare dollars.

To persons who must consider midwifery vs. obstetric care for their pregnancy in Ontario: It is almost impossible to access an OB-GYN non-pregnant. Your pregnancy may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go “OB-GYN shopping”. Midwives handled all three of my pregnancies. I can tell you after suffering post-partum complications without appropriate care and access to an OB-GYN, I regret using midwives for my prenatal care.

To any representative of NDRVM: I will continue my campaign until my questions in the IPC complaint are thoroughly answered and you submit to third party review of document release.

I want to clarify my claim that I got no help from NYGH. I did get a pelvic ultrasound and MRI through NYGH. I got the requisition for the pelvic ultrasound from a walk-in clinic. The MRI requisition went in when I had undiagnosed endometritis and an unresolved discrepancy between the pelvic ultrasound and a saline sonohistogram from True North Imaging. The incorrect saline sonohistogram almost disqualified me from surgical repair and I would have suffered undiagnosed endometritis for the rest of my life at the rate I was going with healthcare in Canada. NYGH's doctor #3 told me my heavy menstrual bleeding were normal and she refused to help me resolve the ultrasound discrepancy. I had to argue with Dr. Murji's fellow like a lawyer to be seen in person. Dr. Murji is the doctor who gave me the correct diagnosis of an isthmocele, and the American surgeon found the 100% rupture in the OR. The first endometrial biopsy occurred in the US. By the time I received the MRI at NYGH I was several months post repair. NYGH doctor #2 and #3 refused to help me get a repeat endometrial biopsy. I was forced to wait 7 months for that biopsy and it also came back positive with poop bacteria, all the while having excessive menstrual bleeding, as demonstrated by my recent ferritin of 6. I consider myself to have been medically abandoned by NYGH. My statement that I got no help from NYGH is substantially correct.