A consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist is facing allegations of poor professional performance at a Medical Council fitness to practise inquiry.
It is claimed the doctor at South Tipperary General Hospital wrongly diagnosed an ectopic pregnancy in a patient in January 2013, when the pregnancy was actually in the womb.
The doctor recommended that a drug called Methotrexate, which stops pregnancy, be prescribed and the patient subsequently had a miscarriage.
It is alleged that 'Dr A' failed to rule out an intra-uterine pregnancy and should have adopted a wait-and-see approach and have ordered more scans and tests.
The inquiry has asked that the consultant's name not be made public, however, it said the hospital could be named.
An application by 'Dr A's' legal team to have the inquiry in private was not upheld by the committee.
The inquiry has heard that the patient, Laura Esmonde attended South Tipperary General on 6 January 2013 and was diagnosed with a blood clot in her left leg.
A test also showed that she was pregnant and the inquiry heard today she had been unaware she was pregnant.
She was referred to 'Dr A' who diagnosed an ectopic pregnancy of unknown location.
It is claimed that the consultant advised Ms Esmonde to have Methotrexate on 8 January and not to wait, as it could be life-threatening.
She had a further dose of the drug, which stops cells growing, on 18 January.
Ms Esmonde was later transferred to Cork University Hospital and the inquiry has heard that on 26 January doctors there found it was not an ectopic pregnancy but was an intrauterine pregnancy and no longer viable.
Ms Esmonde complained to the Medical Council alleging that 'Dr A' incorrectly diagnosed an ectopic pregnancy, that the doctor wrongly advised her not to wait and to have the drug, when she had a viable pregnancy.
Barrister for the Medical Council, Neasa Bird, said the inquiry was not being asked to determine if Ms Esmonde had not been given methotrexate would the pregnancy have ultimately been viable.
Ms Bird said they could not know the answer to this.
Barrister for 'Dr A', Simon Mills, said that Ms Esmonde was unwell throughout the process as she had a significant clot in her leg and a history of blood clotting problems.
He said four separate ultrasounds of the uterus were performed by four separate health staff and none found a pregnancy in the womb.
Mr Mills also said that experts for 'Dr A' will say it was never a viable pregnancy and other medical experts, including the Master of the Rotunda Hospital, will give evidence that had they been in the same position as 'Dr A', they would have taken the same steps the consultant took.
Ms Esmonde told the inquiry she was married, was from Tipperary and had three children.
She said she was in very good health before 2013 and enjoyed hillwalking.
The exception was in 1999, when she suffered a pulmonary embolism, after her second child.
Ms Esmonde said that on 6 January 2013 she woke with severe leg pain and her left leg was swollen.
She woke her husband and they went to the Emergency Department at South Tipperary General, where she was diagnosed as having a Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Later, after giving a urine sample for testing, a nurse congratulated her on being pregnant.
She told the inquiry she was "shocked, it was a lot to take in" but she was happy to be pregnant.
After an ultrasound on her leg, a radiologist scanned her abdomen and said he thought it was an ectopic pregnancy.
She said she was taken aback by this news.
Later she met consultant obstetrician, 'Dr A', who took her medical history and arranged blood tests and scans.
After an ultrasound, Ms Esmonde said 'Dr A' informed her that her uterus was empty and that she had an ectopic pregnancy.
She said 'Dr A' explained three options: surgery, medication or a wait-and-see approach.
The consultant said surgery was too dangerous and if they waited, she could die on her feet, without any symptoms.
'Dr A' also told her other colleagues agreed she had an ectopic pregnancy and recommended she take methotrexate.
Ms Esmonde told the inquiry that she trusted 'Dr A' and the doctor was very nice in the way she was dealt with.
The Medical Council inquiry will resume tomorrow.
