WOMEN should be routinely tested for pregnancy before undergoing NHS surgery, a new report urges.
At present, guidelines say female patients should only be asked if they are pregnant before an operation.
A new study warns this is 'unfit for purpose' and could cause 'unnecessary harm' to the mother to-be or her unborn child, as many women in early pregnancy do not realise they are expecting.
The researchers have called for such testing, with women's consent, to be rolled out across the UK for all female patients, aged 12 to 55, facing surgery.
NHS Tayside is already routinely pregnancy testing female patients.
The research published in the Scottish Medical Journal, uses as an example the case of a woman who did not believe she could be pregnant before undergoing significant medical procedures.
She underwent two general anaesthetics and a CT scan - however, she later gave birth to a healthy baby.
Dr Michael Wilson, author of the study and surgeon and registrar at the department of general surgery at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, said the current guidelines - which require staff to ask: 'Is it possible you are pregnant?' - are not enough.
Dr Wilson said all women admitted for elective or emergency surgery in NHS Tayside were now routinely asked to consent to pregnancy testing by nurses.
He said: "My view is there isn't any room for subjective evidence, which is what the guidelines ask.
"We should be finding objective evidence, which is a very simple urine pregnancy test.
"In Tayside, we've adopted that as the gold standard. It's about ensuring optimal care.
"Overall, the risks are minimal to the individual but cumulatively, harm will be done to a foetus at some point."
The researchers said that some anaesthetic drugs could damage the foetus, causing abortion or birth defects.
They said: "Failing to document pregnancy status in a female presenting for elective or emergency surgical assessment can have significant consequences.
"Some anaesthetic agents... may be associated with abortive effects on foetuses."
The paper concludes: "Current guidelines appear unfit for purpose and may lead to unnecessary harm either to mother or foetus.
"As a consequence, our local guidelines have changed.
"In women of child-bearing age (12-55), we seek consent to objective pregnancy testing prior to elective and emergency surgery requiring a general anaesthetic.
"We strongly recommend that the same changes be made on a national level."
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said it was surprising that current guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - which officially apply south of the Border but are followed in Scotland - 'appear to leave open a risk' to women who did not know they were pregnant.
She added: "However, the question of testing for pregnancy is a sensitive one and must be broached carefully with any patient."
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