Baby Born Without a Bone in Her Forearm After Obstetrician Negligently Prescribed a Hormone to Her Mother
A young woman was pregnant but was suffering from vaginal bleeding during her first trimester. Because the woman had previously suffered a miscarriage, her obstetrician prescribed the hormone progesterone for her to take. Eventually, the bleeding stopped. However, when the baby was born she did not have an ulnar bone in her one forearm, resulting in her having a shortened arm.
As a result of her shortened arm, the baby had to undergo significant physical and occupational therapy and treatment. Unfortunately, no medical treatment could replace the missing bone in her arm.
Plaintiff’s investigation showed that there was no medical evidence that prescribing progesterone to a pregnant woman with vaginal bleeding will prevent a miscarriage. There was no study which showed any medical benefit in prescribing the progesterone in this situation.
In addition, plaintiff’s investigation also showed that taking progesterone in the first trimester could lead to birth defects such as missing bones in the baby’s forearm. Plaintiffs prevailed even though the defendant used an expert who was reputed to be one of the top three teratologists (a person who studies the causes of birth injuries) in the world. The jury rejected this testimony and awarded plaintiffs $4,500,000 dollars.
