In a heartbreaking video released last year, opened up about her miscarriage during IVF treatment with husband Avinash Dwivedi.
The actor, who was three months pregnant when she found out she had miscarried, recently described going through two painful weeks unaware that her pregnancy had ended. She shared that no genetic testing was done on the embryo before it was transferred. Only after the did she learn that it was genetically abnormal. “When you do an embryo transfer, there’s a genetic testing that happens beforehand — they didn’t even get that done. Basically, it was genetically abnormal. Just imagine, what if this had been discovered in the fifth month — what would’ve happened then?,” she told.
She then revealed that she lost her child during the third month of her pregnancy and was unaware of it for 15 days. “’ (Just think about it — I went for a scan in the third month, and that’s when I found out that everything had ended 15 days earlier. So for 15 days, I was walking around with poison inside me. Anything could have happened to me. And I had been saying for 15 days that I was in a lot of pain. But my doctor kept saying, ‘It’s your arthritis’),” she said.
After she contacted a doctor to address her arthritis concern, Sambhavna was told that her pain was hinting at a possible miscarriage. She added, “When it happened, they said, ‘But you have so many issues na Sambhavna, you already had arthritis, what to do. Yeah so, sorry.’ That wasn’t even a sorry, they said, ‘It’s unfortunate, will try next time’.”
Dr Uthra R, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Dhee Hospital, tells , “When patients present with pain or discomfort in early pregnancy, especially those or with underlying health issues like arthritis, it’s critical that their concerns are not dismissed. Fertility specialists must take a multidisciplinary approach, involving rheumatologists, endocrinologists, or pain specialists when needed.”
One of the key principles we follow in reproductive medicine is “symptom-led care,” which means we treat the patient, not just the lab results. “If a patient says something feels off, we investigate further, even if early ultrasounds or hormone levels appear normal. Pain is subjective but significant,” she stresses.
The doctor adds that maintaining open lines of communication, regular follow-ups, and a non-dismissive attitude are essential.
Currently, Dr Uthra says, IVF patients are closely monitored through early beta-hCG tracking and transvaginal ultrasounds around 6-7 weeks. However, missed miscarriages, where the embryo stops developing without immediate symptoms — can still be hard to detect early.
To improve patient safety, she recommends that clinics can implement “triage protocols where any report of unusual pain or bleeding prompts immediate in-person evaluation, not just remote reassurance.” Another potential step is the routine use of point-of-care ultrasound and more frequent serum markers beyond hCG, such as progesterone and inflammatory markers in high-risk patients.
“There is also room for better . Fertility clinics must ensure that patients are heard, their pain acknowledged, and that care is not purely protocol-driven but human-centered,” suggests the expert.
