Thursday, October 14, 2010

Stupid TV Shows

Before I go any further, if you have not seen the 10/14 episode of "Grey's Anatomy" read no further. You've been warned.

I need to preface this with two things.

First, I love "Grey's Anatomy." I've loved "Grey's" when it wasn't so loveable. It's one of the shows I look forward to most all week long.

Second, I am very well aware that medical dramas are very rarely medically accurate. I've been watching medical shows for a long time, so I've seen it all.

That being said, a storyline on Grey's tonight really annoyed the crap out of me.

In the season finale last May, we found out that Meredith was pregnant and then, in the midst of the shooting rampage at the hospital, she had a miscarriage. It was incredibly sad and heartbreaking. This season, she has been dealing with that, including finally telling her husband that it happened (long story that I'm not going to explain). They agreed they wanted to continue trying.

Jump to tonight's episode when suddenly they are meeting with her OB to discuss what might be going with their TTC process. OB comes in and tells them (though we don't see this; we just hear about it in a conversation between Meredith and Derek) that Meredith has a hostile uterus.

So, first, I don't expect shows to show us every little detail of what goes on in the characters' lives. We're just supposed to assume certain things happened. But, they are in this doctor's office sitting there like all that's been done for the doctor to conclude this about Meredith's uterus is maybe some blood tests. I haven't gotten too far into my testing process, but I'm betting that some slightly more invasive procedures would be involved.

The reason this doesn't fall into the "things that just happen off-screen" reasoning for me is other conversations that were had. On this one day, people notice that and are talking about the fact that she had an appointment on that day. I've had one slightly invasive, uncomfortable (putting it mildly) procedure and I took half a day off work AND people close to me knew.

Next, is the simple fact that she went to an OB. Now, a lof of women start out testing with their OB, me included. But, given the fact that she had already had a miscarriage AND the fact that they are doctors, I don't buy that they wouldn't have gone to an RE (reproductive endochronologist).

Last, at the very end, Meredith and Derek are discussing steps going forward. He says they'll just "try." They'll not worry about tests and blood and just have lots of sex.

I cannot even describe how frustrating that is to hear. First of all, despite the miscarriage, I find it incredibly ridiculous that they were even doing testing to begin with. It's not like it was odd that she had the miscarriage given the awful circumstances she had just been through, so no big mystery to figure out there. Second, they were not even trying when she got pregnant and they haven't been trying more than a few weeks now. And I'm fairly certain the character is not meant to be over 35. So, why in the hell are they even testing anything? The rest of us wait 6 months or a year when there are no known issues or reasons for concern. Why can't she?

But, the worst is the "just have lots of sex." So, putting aside my issues with her having been tested, she was and she found out something could be wrong. But, Derek just decides that "having lots of sex" and "not worrying" will get them pregnant. That is pretty much a slap in the face to anyone who has been trying to just have lots of sex and/or has been diagnosed with some type of fertility issues. Having lots of sex and just seeing what happens won't change the situation.

Look, I know it's a fictional show, but it pisses me off when people are in a position to put information out there and they put out crappy information. The vast majority of the public is pretty clueless about infertility and the general struggles of couples who do not get pregnant right away. And it is because nobody wants to talk about it or tell real stories.

And what's really going to piss me off is that by the end of the season, Meredith will probably be pregnant just by "having lots of sex." And so the cycle of bad information with continue.

2 comments:

Bethany Jayne said...

Oh, Ashley. I couldn't agree more. It is also upsetting when your husband, who is watching beside you, turns to you at the end and says "See, he’s a doctor and he just said ‘just have lots of sex’ that must be the trick.” ::Head Desk:: I had to explain to him that it was a fictional show, full of misinformation.

Ashley said...

Yeah, I'm debating letting the hubby watch this episode at all!

So not helping the cause!