She was doubled over with 'period pain,' but her best friend recognized the signs. An internal scan proved three doctors wrong and saved her life

Sometimes the most critical medical intervention doesn't come from a hospital but from a frantic text to a best friend who refuses to let you ignore the unexplained symptoms. When severe abdominal pain began radiating up Han Morgan's (@han.morgan) back, ultimately reaching up her collarbone, she assumed it was just bad period cramps. However, a friend, a doctor by profession, refused to dismiss it and insisted she immediately take a pregnancy test. What happened next rushed Morgan straight into the operating theater (OT). Her video, posted on May 5, now has over 167,000 views on TikTok. 

The unexplained pain

It all started when, for two days, severe pain took hold of Morgan, aggressively spreading from her abdomen up toward her shoulders and collarbone. Believing it was nothing more than agonizingly intense cramps, she texted her doctor friend, who suggested a pregnancy test. Morgan hadn't missed her periods, so she was sure that she couldn't be pregnant. But she eventually gave in to her bestie's suggestion and was shocked to find a positive result. Recognizing the classic, textbook red flags of an ectopic pregnancy, her friend asked her to rush to the hospital. For those who aren't aware, ectopic pregnancy happens when a fertilized egg implants itself outside the womb, often in one of the fallopian tubes, as per the NHS website.

Arriving at the NHS Accident & Emergency (A&E) unit at around 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday, Morgan quickly explained to the doctor about her pain and the positive pregnancy test. However, instead of treating her right away, the doctor merely prodded her stomach and downplayed the severity. The doctor stated that it was probably not an ectopic pregnancy and suggested that she wait in the waiting room while they called a gynecologist. Morgan then waited five more hours, only for the gynecologist to dismiss her symptoms. 

A shocking scan result

Morgan was asked to return to the hospital the next morning. Following the advice, she reached the pregnancy unit, repeating the same timeline, only to be once again left waiting. Overwhelmed and blinded by the escalating agony, she finally broke down at the reception. Her outburst finally prompted the staff to rush her through her internal scan, despite a third doctor saying that an ectopic pregnancy was unlikely. 

Within a single minute of the internal ultrasound, the medical practitioner's tone shifted completely as an ectopic pregnancy was confirmed. Morgan was immediately rushed to the OT, following which the surgeons removed the pregnancy alongside a blocked fallopian tube. In fact, it was later revealed that she would have collapsed if she had ignored her symptoms any further. 

Power of early detection 

Thankfully, Morgan's friend's timely intervention saved her life. This highlights the importance of early detection, especially with ectopic pregnancies being the leading cause of maternal mortality, with an incidence of 5% to 10% of all pregnancy-related deaths, according to a study by Kellie Mullany, Madeline Minneci, and others. Additionally, this study also highlights that almost 18% of women experiencing pain or bleeding within their first trimester are experiencing ectopic pregnancy. Dismissing them means ignoring the chance of facing a fatal internal rupture. 

'File a complaint'

That's why people in the comment section of Morgan's post were livid. @hcp2medstudent wrote, "So disappointing. We are taught in medical school that this type of presentation is an ectopic pregnancy until proven otherwise. I’m sorry this was your experience." Meanwhile, @its_yaboit commented, "To say it's 'probably not an ectopic pregnancy' then just send you home is crazy? So many things it could have been even if it wasn't that. Surely they would be concerned about miscarriage anyway after a positive pregnancy test."

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