Planned Parenthood Pasadena Sued Over Allegedly Wrong ‘Common Constipation’ Diagnosis

A former Planned Parenthood patient Monday sued the organization for medical malpractice, alleging she was incorrectly diagnosed with “common constipation” when she actually had serious issues that put her reproductive capability at risk.

Kipenzi Chidinma’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit names as defendants the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc., Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley Inc. and Dr. Catherine Khoo. Chidinma seeks unspecified damages

“Despite plaintiff’s repeated efforts, (Planned Parenthood) utilized their position of superior knowledge and wrongfully, negligently and incorrectly diagnosed plaintiff with simple constipation,” the suit states.

A Planned Parenthood representative did not immediately reply to a request made after regular business hours for comment on the suit.

Chidinma went to Planned Parenthood in March 2022 for a wellness exam and told her provider that she was having abnormally heavy vaginal bleeding, headaches, hormonal imbalance and other related discomforts and abnormalities, according to her suit.

Chidinma additionally told informed the provider that she had bloating and a possible mass in her abdomen, but was denied an ultrasound and told she had “common constipation,” the suit states.

Chidinma argued that her condition was more serious and again requested the ultrasound and equivalent testing, but she was again turned down and assured that the constipation diagnosis was accurate, according to the suit, which also states that she was also denied a referral to a specialist.

Chidinma’s symptoms persisted for several months and worsened, so she returned to Planned Parenthood in January and asked again for an ultrasound, finding out for the first time that the facility did not have ultrasound equipment, the suit alleges.

Chidinma was granted a request to be examined by someone else and it took less than a minute for the new provider to diagnose that the plaintiff’s uterus was sharply expanded and that masses were present that could have been found during the March 2022 Planned Parenthood office visit, the suit states.

Chidinma cried and contacted her insurance carrier from her car to obtain coverage from a different provider organization and she learned during her visit to the new facility that she had fibroids so large and advanced that her reproductive health was at risk and that non-surgical options she had in March 2022 were no longer available, the suit states.

Chidinma has suffered severe emotional distress as well as physical harm and economic losses, the suit states.