The woman was left unable to conceive children after the contraceptive coil was left inside her for 29 years

A woman has been left unable to conceive after a contraceptive coil she was told had fallen out was left inside her – for 29 years.

In 1990 a doctor told Jane Huddleston that the device she had fitted about a year earlier had fallen off.

She had another device, but when she and her husband, David, 61, decided to have children two years later, the second device was removed but the first remained.

For years, Jane, of Weston, near Crewe, suffered from symptoms including heavy periods, bleeding, stomachaches and infections.

She was unable to conceive, so Jane and David underwent eight unsuccessful rounds of IVF between 1995 and 2002 – including six privately funded rounds costing thousands of pounds – in hopes of conceiving a child together.

Jayne’s remaining copper coil was picked up in 2019 during her scans after she complained of back pain.

She underwent surgery under general anesthesia to remove the device.

Jain, now 63, said: “After the coil, which I now know was the second coil, was introduced in 1990, I began to experience symptoms.

“It wasn’t pleasant at all. I remember visiting my GP on several occasions and being told it was just my hormones.

However, after the second device was removed, we struggled to conceive. I remember the doctor checking my hormone levels and being told they were normal.

“David and II tried everything we could think of but nothing worked and we were referred to specialists who suggested IVF.

“Even after the initial failed cycles, the doctors didn’t seem too concerned. They said we had good embryos and I proved fertile too.

“I remember at one point David asking the doctor if they were sure the file was still there? We were told no it would show up on the scan.

“Despite more attempts I didn’t get pregnant. We gave ourselves a break point and decided we couldn’t face the feelings of trying any more.”

Jen, who had son Darren, 38, from a previous relationship, had the brass coil installed in May 1989.

After a routine smear test in June 1990 she was told there was no sign of it and Jayne was referred for an ultrasound which was clear.

Jayne sought medical advice for back pain in 2019.

During the appointment, a swab test was also performed, during which the doctor thought she had seen a coil and the scan confirmed the presence of the device.

After discovering the file, Jayne instructed Irwin Mitchell’s expert medical negligence attorneys to investigate and has since secured a six-figure settlement from GP insurers.

Jain added: “When I was told in 2019 after the scan that they could see the file, I couldn’t believe it.

”Nowadays, laptops come with a high quality graphics card. I was crying and only thought of the children David and I should have had. It was just a complete shock.

“All David and I wanted was to have a baby together to make the family complete. I couldn’t believe we had so many IVF cycles.

“Everything we went through, all the feelings, and then having to pick ourselves up to try again, just felt like a waste. I felt like it was all for nothing because I still had a file in place.

“Following the surgery to remove the IUD, my symptoms disappeared, and I’m not sure we’ll ever get over the psychological pain of the past 30 years.

“I just hope that by speaking out, I can raise awareness of the issues we’ve had in hopes that we mean other people won’t have to go through what we have.”

The settlement will help compensate for the private IVF treatment Jane and David underwent.

It will also allow them to receive specialist support to try to cope with the psychological impact of not being able to have children together.

Zoe Donohue, the Irwin Mitchell medical negligence solicitor representing Jane, said: “This is an incredibly unusual but equally disturbing case that has had a devastating impact on Jane and David.

Not only did Jayne suffer serious physical complications for over 25 years, but we tragically believe she and David denied the opportunity to have the child they had longed for, and thus had to endure the mental turmoil of many failed IVF attempts.

“We believe that if Jayne had undergone a more thorough investigation and been sent for an X-ray, her file would have been found and removed, meaning she would not have had to go through the ordeal that she went through.

“While nothing can make up for what Jayne and David have gone through, we are delighted that we were able to secure this settlement, giving them access to the specialist support they need to try and get over what happened in the best way possible.”

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