Misdiagnosis- can we trust Drs or should we always seek a second opinion?

Question

In researching ectopic pregnancy in light of the new bills coming up in the US news, I found the following and felt I should share this info, as I had never even heard of ectopic pregnancy being misdiagnosed

Of course Drs are human and make mistakes, but should we be demanding second opinions? Should insurance cover it if the patient requests it?

Answer

Doctors are still fallible human beings who make mistakes and are using fallible equipment. Even without reading this I would have said that I would get a second opinion for a suspected ectopic, or even a suspected failed pregnancy in general. I would always want to know absolutely for sure before taking any action.

Answer

Ectopic pregnancies can be so dangerous that I think once you get diagnosed, there is a rush to fix it before anything bad can happen.

Answer

I was misdiagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy and was given a prescription for methotrexate and instruction to go to the ER if I experienced any bleeding or pain. 
Later that night I started cramping and spotting so my husband rushed me to the nearest ER and they found my bubby happily swimming away in my uterus. I still think about what might have happened had I taken the medication. I wanted to have one more night with my baby. My decision to wait is the best thing that could have ever happened to me, but I hate to think that women in the position of ACTUALLY having an ectopic might be denied the ability to save their lives and future fertility. 
I went back to the doctor who misdiagnosed me for the remainder of my pregnancy. He made a mistake, he is a human being.

Answer

I trust the shit out of my doctor.. but we all make mistakes.. doesn't mean she's an idiot though.

Answer

Were I am. BC Canada. Most of the time before you’re given any termination drugs to bring on a miscarriage you are checked more than once by more than one doctor. At least I have been each time. Even with my bad loss, the second trimester loss, they checked a good 6 times.  They wanted to make sure.

Answer

I wouldn’t let a single Er doc diagnose me with an ectopic pregnancy. I’d demand a second imaging with a different tech and an additional doc, preferably the ob on call for the hospital. ER docs are trained to manage emergencies, they are not trained in the various nuances that come along with pregnancy.

Answer

If you have a medical issue it's best to get second or even 3rd opinion. I say it's important to "shop" for a Dr. That take the time and has the best interest for his patients.

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I’ve been misdiagnosed plenty of times. Yes doctors are human but u know your body better than anyone else. I’m not just speaking about this article but in general we as humans walk around with our bodies daily but most of us don’t know how it functions etc. We need to educate ourselves more on our bodies. I don’t mean google I mean actual research.

Answer

Dr’s make mistakes all the time, they obviously try not to, but they’re only human.

Answer

Sadly, so much of women's health is under-researched and misunderstood in the US (especially when it comes to women's pain disorders or symptoms being taken seriously) This is probably why we use birth control to treat so many "female" medical problems instead of developing more targeted treatment for specific ailments. Minority women are especially vulnerable to being dismissed by medical professionals. 
Always get a 2nd opinion in my view

Misdiagnosis- can we trust Drs or should we always seek a second opinion?

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