Incontinent Due to Missed Birth Tear
If you are suffering wind or faecal incontinence due to a childbirth tear, you may be entitled to make a claim for compensation.
Examining for childbirth tears
Many women suffer a tear of some degree during vaginal childbirth but most are small and repair promptly. Some unfortunate women, however, suffer severe tears, called 3rd or 4th degree tears, which can cause permanent bowel problems if they are not diagnosed and repaired.
Medical professionals who attend the birth, usually midwives, should carry out a careful examination of a woman's perineum and anus after childbirth to make sure that they have not suffered a perineal tear.
If this examination is not carried out, it is possible for the midwife to miss a serious injury, meaning that the new mother may be sent home with a severe tear to her anus which has not been repaired.
Effects of anal sphincter injuries
When they start to suffer episodes of incontinence, many women think that this must be a natural result of vaginal childbirth and that it will clear up. For most women, such symptoms do indeed clear up and they can resume a normal life. For an unfortunate few, however, the symptoms continue because the underlying cause has not been resolved.
Severe birth tears cause damage to the muscles which control the bowel. These are called the anal sphincter muscles and they prevent the accidental passing of wind or faeces.
Medical negligence
This is a very serious injury and needs the attention of a skilled surgeon in an operating theatre. The woman requires a careful and thorough repair, ensuring that the full extent of the injury has been repaired, using the best techniques and materials.
This will not happen, however, if no diagnosis has been made. If the midwife fails to recognise that the woman has suffered a severe injury, the woman may not receive a repair. A midwife may fail to carry out an examination or she may not have the skills to recognise the signs of a severe anal sphincter injury.
Whatever the cause, a 3rd or 4th degree tear can cause significant emotional, practical and financial problems for the woman who has been affected, limiting her ability to work and damaging her self-confidence.
Speak to a solicitor
If you are struggling with the appalling effects of an unrepaired 3rd or 4th degree tear, contact Glynns to talk to a specialist medical negligence solicitor.
We regularly help women in making highly-successful compensation claims for this type of negligence and will be very happy to advise you.
Please call us on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
Make An Enquiry
Why Choose Us
- Specialist medical negligence solicitors
- Free initial enquiries
- No win, no fee available
Reviews
Our Expertise
Helping Clients Across England & Wales
