A UK woman has been awarded almost NZ$300,000 for undergoing painful and "completely unnecessary" vaginal reconstruction surgery after it was discovered her condition could have been treated simply with a cream.
According to the Daily Mail, the anonymous woman suffered an "inflammatory condition" which could have been treated with specialist moisturisers.
Instead, a Yorkshire doctor recommended surgery, which led to the removal of the woman's clitoris, which she said left her unable to urinate normally or enjoy sex.
The surgery, which took place at Spire Hospital in Anlaby, has subsequently affected both her health and her marriage, according to the woman's solicitors.
She received £150,000 in a settlement with the surgeon, who is reportedly denying negligence.
Solicitor Michelle Tebbutt told local media that her client had previously been examined by another consultant and had a biopsy taken, which showed "no sign of malignancy".
"However, when she saw a second consultant at Hull Royal Infirmary some weeks later and asked about surgery, that surgeon indicated that all conservative medical measures had been exhausted, which was incorrect."
Tebbutt said the doctor failed in his "duty of care".
"It was our case that he should have advised her that not only was such surgery going to cosmetically alter her, but that it would also not have cured her condition," Tebbutt said.
"Given the wrong advice, she decided to have the surgery and go private. She had the operation which the surgeon carried out at a local private hospital, which included removal of the clitoris and plastic surgical reconstruction.
"It has led to cosmetic deformities and a need for repeated revisional surgeries, all of which have had a severe impact on her life."
