A couple from the UK has shared their devastating story of how they ended their pregnancy due to a false diagnosis from NHS doctors.
Carly Wesson and her partner Carl Everson were told that their unborn child had Patau’s Syndrome, a rare and severe genetic disorder, which often results in miscarriage or stillbirth.
Tragically, they made the decision to abort their pregnancy, only to later discover that the diagnosis was incorrect.
The Shocking Discovery That Led to the Abortion
In January 2019, after being informed by doctors at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUHT) that their unborn baby likely had Patau’s Syndrome, Carly and Carl were faced with the heartbreaking decision to end the pregnancy.
They were told that their child would not survive and would require severe care if born.
Despite their doubts, the couple trusted the medical advice and made the painful choice to abort at 14 weeks.
However, just six weeks later, they received the shocking news that their baby, whom they had nicknamed Ladybird, had no abnormality, and the initial test result had been a false positive.
The couple was left devastated by this revelation, and to make matters worse, one doctor told them they would have “likely miscarried anyway,” trying to placate them.
This added insult to their already overwhelming grief.
A Wider Issue: False Diagnoses Affecting Hundreds of Families
The case of Carly and Carl is not an isolated incident.
Police are now investigating the treatment of more than 2,000 families by NUHT, with multiple other families sharing similar stories.
One such family was given less than a day to decide whether to abort their baby after being told it might have a life-limiting condition.
The family, who chose to remain anonymous, were informed by the same NHS Trust that their unborn child had a genetic disorder.
They were pressured into making a decision quickly, ultimately ending the pregnancy without receiving the final test results to confirm the diagnosis.
Tragically, a post-mortem showed the baby had been perfectly healthy.
Patau’s Syndrome: What It Really Is
Patau’s Syndrome is a serious genetic condition caused by an extra copy of chromosome 13, which can result in severe developmental issues.
It affects roughly 1 in every 4,000 births, with 9 out of 10 affected children dying within their first year.
The condition is often diagnosed during pregnancy, but false positives can occur, leading to unnecessary terminations, as was the case for Carly and Carl.
The Lasting Impact of False Diagnoses
The devastating impact of these false diagnoses doesn’t just affect the parents involved.
In some cases, families have come dangerously close to ending pregnancies due to misdiagnoses.
One anonymous mother, who had already experienced a stillbirth, was advised by doctors in 2015 that her baby might have a life-limiting disease.
Multiple scans showed concerning results, but after a third scan revealed everything was normal, the family was saved from the brink of making an irreversible decision.
However, the family was never provided with an explanation for the initial erroneous scan results.
This lack of clarity only adds to the emotional toll and frustration that parents experience when faced with such high-stakes decisions.
Ongoing Investigation and Calls for Change
In response to these tragic events, NUHT’s CEO Anthony May admitted that the trust had “failed” Carly and Carl and expressed regret over the incorrect diagnosis.
He assured the public that the trust had investigated the case and implemented changes in their processes to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
An investigation into the treatment of over 2,000 families at two NUHT hospitals—Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital—is now underway, led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden. The findings of this review are expected in 2026.
NUHT has promised to continue improving its foetal medicine services to better support families during such challenging times.
However, the ongoing investigations highlight the urgent need for greater accountability and transparency in the medical community to prevent such heart-wrenching errors from affecting other families.
This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!
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