Woman claims "I was sterlized against my will!" after having 9 children...

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Is this maybe a state to state law? I've never heard of such a thing, and I certainly would not have anything IMPLANTED at a hospital that didn't have it on hand and made me bring my own. Maybe it's in sterile packaging, but what if (example) the patient accidentally leaves the package in the sun? If you're going to a ob/gyn who uses IUDs frequently for their patients, why would they practice at such an establishment?

This just makes no sense to me because like als463 said, I've never even seen any of my friends be allowed to get a piercing (from ears to everything else) and "bring their own."

IUDs are usually inserted at doctors' offices, and I would assume that the vast majority of OB-GYNs that perform this procedure would stock these, mainly because they do them frequently. Bringing your own implantable device to a facility would be rare, but it does happen and it is legal. I think it's funny how offended people are at the concept. Would you really mishandle something that would be put inside of you?

Some of these items are very expensive to stock and expire if not used (especially IUDs that contain medications) so hospitals may not choose to stock all forms. Hospitals often don't stock all medications as well. They have "formularies" that contain medications that their pharmacy committees have negotiated prices for that save them money. They do NOT stock all drugs so if you go to a hospital and your medication is not on the formulary, you can either take a similar medication or bring your own and take it. There is no giant mall of medical implants at these hospitals so if you need something that they don't carry, it is often easier for the patient to procure the item prior to surgery. For more high priced items, like orthopaedic hardware, the sales rep actually comes to the operating room with the implants and even shows the surgeon how to use them. When any item is brought in from outside and the item has been tampered with (and it is easy to tell if they have been) they won't be used. Hospitals, obviously, have procedures set in place to assure compliance and safety, but it would be pretty hard for a patient to sue the hospital or doctor if she/he tampered with the product.